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I 


Photo  by  Maull  &  Fox,  London 

MLLE.  SUZANNE  LENGLEN 


SPALDING  "RED  COVER"  SERIES  or          C__.  .__.  ~_ 
ATHLETIC  HANDBOOKS  I        "I 

No.  85R. 


LAWN  TENNIS 
FOR  GIRLS 


BY 

MLLE.  LENGLEN 

The  Noted  French  Player 


Edited  by 

EUSTACE  E.  WHITE 

of  London 


PUBLISHED  BY 

AMERICAN  SPORTS  PUBLISHING  CO. 

45  ROSE  STREET,  NEW  YORK  „ 

Copyright,  1920,  by  American  Sports  Publishing  Company 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I  PAGE 

"My  Own  Game" 5 

CHAPTER  II 
Equipment 17 

CHAPTER  III 
Elements  of  the  Game,  and  Style  .     .     24 

CHAPTER  IV 
Ground  Strokes 31 

CHAPTER  V 
Volley  and  Half-Volley     ....     40 

;  0     /•./: :/!  !J    CHAPTER  VI 

:.-£lervi(»e  #nd* 'Overhead  Play  ci 

*•••***••  •  "^ 

CHAPTER  VII 
Tactics 63 

CHAPTER  VIII 
Tournament  Tennis 75 

CHAPTER  IX 
Common  Faults,  Miscellaneous  Hints  82 

CHAPTER  X 
The  Evolution  of  Ladies'  Play    .     .     89 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Facing 
Page 

Mile.    Lenglen Frontispiece 

Equipped  for  Battle 8 

Correct  Grip  for  Backhand,  with  Thumb  Down..  9 

Beginning  of  Forehand  HorizontaMDrive 16 

Beginning   of   Backhand   Drive 17 

Finishing    Backhand    Drive 24 

Overhand   Service — Back  View 25 

Low  Backhand  Volley 32 

Smashing — Eyes  on  the  Ball 33 

Beginning  of  Forehand  Drive,  as  Played  by  Mrs. 

Lambert   Chambers    40 

Another  Finish  of  the  Forehand  Drive 41 

Forehand   Cut   Drive   or   Underhand   Service,   as 

Played  by  Mrs.   Larcombe 48 

Backhand  Cut  Drive  assayed  by  Mrs.  Larcombe  49 

Tactics — In   the   Final  of  the   Championship  vs. 

Mrs.  Satterthwaite 64 

Mixed   Doubles — About   to   Lob 65 

Diagram  of  a   Singles   Court... - 80 

Diagram   of  a   Doubles   Court 81 


I    wish    to    thank    Vicomte   and    Vicomtesse    de  Lapre    for 
kind    help    in    the    work    of    translating   from  the  French. 

E.  E.  W. 


Photos  by  "Sports  and   General,"   London 


PREFACE  TO  AMERICAN 
EDITION 

Every  so  often  a  really  great  player  ap- 
pears in  the  firmament  and  shines  with 
unusual  brilliancy. 

Mile.  Lenglen  is  undoubtedly  one  of 
this  galaxy  and  takes  her  place  alongside 
May  Sutton  Bundy  and  Mrs.  Lambert 
Chambers  in  the  women's  tennis  Hall  of 
Fame. 

This  book  not  only  proves  Mile.  Leng- 
len to  be  a  born  tennis  player  (if  that  term 
can  be  used)  but  a  conscientious  student 
of  the  game.  It  shows  a  thorough  per- 
ception of  the  handicap  under  which  the 
sex  labors  in  this  great  sport,  and  in  its 
simple  treatment  must  assuredly  aid  the 
girl  more  than  any  treatise  by  any  man, 
no  matter  how  expert  he  may  be.  Many 
men  also  can  improve  their  game  by 
studying  this  book  carefully.  The  sound- 
ness of  tennis  sense  and  the  fact  that  Mile. 
Lenglen  practices  whereof  she  preaches 
places  her  book  in  a  class  by  itself  in  the 
literature  of  Lawn  Tennis. 

F.  B.  ALEXANDER. 


LAWN  TENNIS  FOR  GIRLS 


CHAPTER  I 


"MY  OWN  GAME" 


LET  me  begin  this  little  book  with  some 
account  of  my  own  game;  of  how  I 
learned  it,  developed  it;  of  the  strokes  I 
play,  the  methods  I  use,  and  the  principles 
on  which  my  game  is  based. 

Besides  this,  I  shall  write  down  any- 
thing in  connection  with  my  play  and  my 
•experience  of  tennis  which  I  think  may 
prove  helpful  to  readers. 

I  address  myself  specially  to  girls,  but 
that  is  no  reason  why  boys,  and  even  men, 
should  not  find  something  useful  in  these 
pages.  "Girls,"  taken  literally,  is  a  some- 
what limited  term.  For  the  purposes  of 
this  book  it  may  be  stretched  to  cover 
"girls"  of  every  age! 

5 


6  Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

I  started  tennis  at  the  age  of  eleven. 
Seeing  my  parents  playing,  I  was  eager  to 
join  them  and  asked  them  to  give  me  a 
racket.  To  please  me  my  mother  bought 
me  one.  Thus  parental  example  and 
parental  kindness  were  responsible  for  the 
launching  of  my  tennis  career.  It  means 
a  great  deal  to  have  parents  who  take  an 
interest  in  one's  game.  My  parents  have 
always  taken  the  keenest  interest  in  my 
tennis,  and  I  always  try  to  play  my  best 
for  their  sakes,  as  well  as  my  own. 

After  becoming  the  proud  possessor 
of  a  racket,  I  was  soon  playing  with  my 
father.  From  the  very  first  I  showed  a 
natural  aptitude  for  the  game  and  played 
with  considerable  skill.  This  induced  my 
father  to  teach  me  the  game  in  real 
earnest. 

My  progress  was  very  quick,  and  after 
three  months,  although  my  backhand  was 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library          7 

far  from  strong,  I  entered  for  the  tourna- 
ment at  Chantilly.  Receiving  15/3  in  the 
handicap  singles  I  won  the  second  prize, 
meeting  players  of  good  ability. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  are  not 
familiar  with  handicap,  let  me  explain 
that  15/3  means  15  one  game  and  30  the 
next  throughout  each  set. 

Our  friends  of  the  Nice  Club  took  a 
great  interest  in  me  and  gave  me  all 
possible  encouragement.  My  game  de- 
veloped so  rapidly  that  two  years  later  I 
won  the  right  to  have  my  name  inscribed 
on  two  important  cups. 

When  fourteen  I  had  the  honor  of  play- 
ing with  the  famous  Mr.  Wilding  in 
mixed  doubles  at  Cannes.  That  was  the 
beginning  of  my  ascent,  which  in  1914 
raised  me  to  the  championship  of  the 
world  on  hard  courts. 

A  word  here  about  my  method  of  train- 
ing. This  is  very  simple. 


8  Spalding's  A  thletic  Library 

My  diet  is  quite  normal;  I  drink  no 
wine  or  alcoholic  drinks  of  any  kind,  and 
I  go  to  bed  early.  Both  morning  and 
evening  I  go  through  various  simple 
physical  exercises  to  keep  the  body  fit 
and  the  limbs  supple.  In  addition  to  this 
I  practice  with  the  skipping-rope.  There 
is  no  better  exercise  than  skipping  for 
making  one  light  and  springy  on  the  feet. 
High  jumping,  too,  is  a  very  favorite  ex- 
ercise of  mine. 

Never  keep  on  with  exercises  until  you 
feel  tired.  Physical  fitness  cannot  be 
forced ;  it  is  a  gradual  growth. 

Swimming  is  another  form  of  physical 
culture  of  which  I  am  very  fond,  and 
which  has  helped  to  get  and  keep  me  fit 
for  hard  tennis.  Not  only  does  swimming 
keep  the  limbs  supple,  but  it  increases 
one's  stamina  and  lung  capacity.  Few 
things  at  tennis  are  worse,  or  more  likely 


Equipped  for  battle 
(See   page   17) 


Correct  grip  for  backhand,  with  thumb  down 
(See  page  27) 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library          9 

to  bring  about  defeat,  than  shortness  of 
breath. 

I  am  often  asked  who  coached  me  at 
tennis.  Was  it  this  famous  professional, 
or  that?  My  game,  many  seem  to  think, 
can  only  have  been  the  result  of  profes- 
sional coaching. 

Well,  no  professional  ever  coached  me. 
From  first  to  last  my  father  has  been  my 
only  coach.  This  is  what  he  did.  After 
he  had  coached  me  for  a  good  while  he 
made  a  careful  selection  of  the  best  strokes 
of  first-class  players;  strokes  in  which 
these  players  had  specialized;  strokes 
which  he  thought  worth  imitating.  Only 
men's  strokes  were  taken.  I  was  to  learn, 
as  far  as  possible,  to  play  like  a  man. 
I  was  to  imitate  these  strokes,  but  without 
modelling  myself  on  the  movements  of 
the  players  or  their  manner  of  making  the 
strokes.  I  was  to  aim  at  getting  the  same 
results  as  they  did,  but  in  my  own  way. 


10         S folding's  Athletic  Library 

I  am  sometimes  asked  on  what  player 
or  players  I  have  modelled  my  style. 

My  answer  is — on  none. 

I  made  a  point  of  playing  in  my  own 
way,  and  there  is  only  one  stroke  I  ever 
consciously  tried  to  copy,  and  that  is 
the  forehand  drive  of  the  great  Mr. 
Wilding. 

I  take  this  stroke  as  high  as  possible 
so  as  to  avoid  any  curve  on  the  ball.  I 
do  not  attempt  to  put  top-spin  on  the  ball, 
but  hit  it  with  a  plain  racket:  this  is 
fully  explained  in  the  chapter  on  ground- 
strokes.  I  am  also  most  careful  to  keep 
well  away  from  the  ball  and  play  the 
stroke  without  bending  my  arm. 

All  my  other  strokes  have  been  bettered 
by  assiduous  practice  in  trying  to  get,  by 
hitting  the  ball  truly  and  by  good  timing, 
a  maximum  effect  with  a  minimum  effort. 
For  this  it  is  necessary  to  grip  the  racket 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library         1 1 

aright  and  keep  the  eye  continuously  on 
the  ball. 

Though  I  refer  to  the  grip  in  another 
chapter,  I  may  say  that  I  grip  tightly 
for  all  shots,  especially  for  volleys,  and 
have  the  handle  of  my  racket  well 
proportioned  to  the  size  of  my  hand, 
to  avoid  the  racket  turning  during  the 
delivery  of  the  stroke. 

I  think  my  father's  plan  of  selecting  the 
strokes  of  good  players  for  a  guide  might 
be  adopted  with  advantage  by  all  young 
players  eager  to  improve  their  game. 

Supposing  you  wish  to  learn  the 
drop-shot,  you  only  have  to  watch  closely 
how  Mrs.  Larcombe,  or  Mrs.  Lambert 
Chambers,  winner  of  the  English  lady 
championship,  or  Miss  Ryan,  the  Cali- 
fornian,  my  partner  in  the  ladies'  doubles 
championship  at  Wimbledon,  play  it  to 
get  a  working  knowledge  of  this  shot.  You 
will  observe  that  they  play  it  with  a  cer- 


12         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

tain  turn  of  the  wrist.  You  have  the  secret 
of  the  shot.  But  you  must,  of  course, 
learn  to  drive  and  volley  before  attempt- 
ing anything  so  difficult  as  the  drop-shot. 

At  all  the  principal  tournaments  you 
may  see  the  different  strokes  of  the  game 
played  in  the  right  way.  If  you  are  for- 
tunate enough  to  attend  these  as  specta- 
tors, keep  your  eyes  open  and  learn  all 
you  can. 

Balance  of  the  body  is  most  important. 
Without  perfect  balance  it  is  impossible 
to  execute  strokes  well.  I  pay  great  atten- 
tion to  this. 

What  is  perfect  balance?  you  ask.  If 
at  the  finish  of  a  forehand  drive  your 
weight  is  on  your  right  leg  and  you  are 
leaning  away  from  the  ball,  that  is  cer- 
tainly not  perfect  balance. 

Books  on  lawn  tennis  do  not  say  much 
about  foot  work,  and  yet  it  is  essential  to 
have  the  feet  in  the  right  place.  On  this 


S paid  ing's  A  thletic  Library         1 3 

depends  balance  and  proper  distribution 
of  weight. 

I  advise  all  girls  to  take  one  stroke  at 
a  time,  as  I  did,  and  practice  it  diligently 
till  they  can  make  it  with  certainty.  After 
practicing  some  particular  stroke  for  sev- 
eral days,  with  what  confidence  you  will 
be  able  to  use  it  in  a  match  or  a  tourna- 
ment. 

One  stroke  at  a  time  is  the  only  really 
thorough  method  of  building  up  your 
game. 

In  playing  my  backhand  I  sweep  the 
ball,  as  it  were,  relying  on  swing,  timing 
and  follow-through  to  get  pace  rather 
than  on  hard  hitting.  A  favorite  shot  of 
mine  is  a  backhand  drive  down  the  line. 
For  all  backhand  shots,  whether  drive  or 
volley,  I  have  my  thumb  down  the  back  of 
the  handle.  This  is  clearly  to  be  seen  in 
the  photographs  of  backhand  shots. 


1 4         Spalding's  A  thletic  Library 

For  both  forehand  and  backhand 
strokes  I  am  careful  to  keep  the  racket  in 
the  vertical  plane  for  the  full  delivery  of 
the  strokes. 

As  the  service  is  a  strong  part  ^of  my 
game,  it  will  be  well  if  I  describe  my 
method. 

I  stand  with  the  left  foot  in  front,  and 
sideways.  I  throw  the  ball  up  into  the 
air  about  six  feet  and  over  the  right 
shoulder,  that  is,  on  the  right  side  of  the 
head.  At  this  moment  the  bust  is  inclined 
backwards,  and  with  the  handle  of  the 
racket  gripped  very  tightly,  the  ball  is 
hit  very  hard.  All  the  weight  and  swing 
of  the  body  are  put  into  the  stroke  and 
the  ball  is  steered  in  the  intended  direc- 
tion. 

I  act  in  an  exactly  similar  way  for  the 
"smash,"  which  is  really  a  service  from 
Another  part  of  the  court. 


Spalding's  A  thletic  Library         1 5 

As  a  chapter  later  on  is  devoted  to  tac- 
tics I  need  not  say  much  here  about  my 
own  tactics. 

In  playing  singles  my  first  concern  is 
to  find  out  my  opponent's  chief  weakness, 
and  then  her  strong  point.  Having  dis- 
covered this  it  is  then  only  necessary  to 
attack  her  weakness  and  prevent  her  play- 
ing her  best  strokes.  Being  a  volleyer,  I 
get  to  the  net  as  soon  as  I  see  a  good  open- 
ing. Thus,  if  in  reply  to  my  first,  fast 
service  my  opponent  sends  a  short  return, 
I  consider  this  a  good  opening. 

If  I  find  an  opponent  equally  good  on 
both  forehand  and  backhand,  and  driving 
a  good  length,  I  try  to  entice  her  to  the 
net  with  a  short  ball  in  order  to  pass  her 
down  the  sidelines  or  lob  over  her  head. 

I  must  not  dwell  any  more  on  my  own 
game,  or  I  shall  anticipate  too  much  what 
I  wish  to  say  in  subsequent  chapters. 


1 6         Spalding's  A  thletic  Library 

Temperament  plays  a  big  part  in  tennis. 
Personally  I  never  suffer  from  "nerves." 
A  big  occasion  and  a  big  crowd  of  spec- 
tators stimulate  me  to  play  my  best. 

I  will  conclude  this  chapter  with  a 
word  or  two  about  courts. 

Grass  courts  are  practically  unknown  in 
France.  All  my  tennis  has  been  played 
on  hard  courts — gravel,  sand,  etc.  So  I 
was  surprised,  when  I  came  to  England, 
to  find  the  grass  courts  so  little  different 
from  those  I  had  been  accustomed  to. 
They  were  not  so  fast,  of  course,  and  the 
ball  did  not  come  to  one  so  quickly.  For- 
tunately I  am  quick-footed,  and  this  did 
not  bother  me.  When  the  courts  were  at 
all  wet,  then  one  noticed  the  difference 
in  bound,  the  ball  not  getting  up  high 
enough  for  the  horizontal  drive. 

It  was  then  that  those  English  players 
who  could  play  the  cut  strokes  gained  an 
advantage. 


Beginning    of    forehand    horizontal    drive, 
how  weight  is   on  right  foot 
(See  page  32) 


Note 


Beginning  of  backhand   drive 
(See  page  36) 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library         17 


CHAPTER  II 

EQUIPMENT 

As  you  cannot  play  without  a  racket, 
let  us  go  at  once  to  a  first-class  maker  and 
choose  a  really  good  racket. 

A  great  deal  of  care  is  needed  in  se- 
lecting a  racket.  So  many  beginners  and 
poor  players  sacrifice  goodness  to  cheap- 
ness. This  is  the  worst  kind  of  economy. 

You  will  never  become  a  good  player 
or  enjoy  your  tennis  with  a  poor  weapon. 
Much  of  the  bad  play  of  girls  is  caused 
by  bad  rackets,  loosely  strung,  ill-bal- 
anced, with  awkward  handles  and  clumsy 
frames. 

A  good  racket  gives  confidence.  Armed 
with  it  a  player  feels  she  can  and  must 
do  it  credit.  It  will  never  do  for  her  to 
disgrace  her  good  racket  by  bad  play. 


18        Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

She  is  on  her  mettle,  which  is,  of  course, 
the  right  attitude. 

The  first  consideration  is  weight,  which 
will  vary  according  to  the  age  of  the 
player.  I  myself  never  use  a  heavier 
racket  than  13^2  ounces. 

After  weight,  balance.  The  evenly- 
balanced  racket  is  best  for  all-round  pur- 
poses. The  usual  balance  is  from  12^2 
to  13^2  inches,  measuring  from  end  of 
handle.  An  evenly-balanced  racket  will 
remain  balanced ;  if  heavy  in  the  head  the 
head  will  sink,  if  light  in  the  head  the 
handle  will  sink. 

For  volleying,  service,  and  overhead 
strokes  a  light-headed  racket  is  best.  For 
driving  and  baseline  play  a  racket  with 
the  weight  in  the  head  is  best.  I  warn 
players  against  using  too  heavy  a  racket. 
It  hampers  their  wrist  play,  and  few  girls 
have  strong  wrists. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library         19 

Now  for  the  size  of  the  handle.  The 
big  handle  has  passed  away,  as  extremes 
always  do.  A  good  average  circumference 
is  five  inches.  The  great  thing  is  to  have  a 
comfortable  handle  which  the  fingers  can 
easily  span.  Too  big  a  handle  cramps  the 
wrist  and  interferes  with  volleying  and 
all  deft  shots.  A  big  handle  also  upsets 
the  balance  of  a  racket. 

See  that  your  racket  is  tightly  strung 
with  medium  gut,  not  thin,  nor  thick. 
These  are  regulation  terms,  rackets  being 
strung  with  gut  of  three  thicknesses.  By 
"tightly"  I  do  not  mean  like  a  board.  If 
you  flick  your  nails  sharply  over  the  face 
of  your  racket  and  it  gives  a  nice  musical 
ring,  you  may  assume  that  the  strings  are 
of  the  right  tautness. 

Avoid  a  clumsy  frame.  The  long,  nar- 
row frame  and  the  very  wide  frame  are 
both  to  be  avoided.  You  must  strike  the 
happy  medium. 


20         Spalding's  A  tkletic  Library 

Many  players  use  grips  of  various  kinds 
on  their  handles.  I  never  do.  I  am  op- 
posed to  a  rubber  grip,  as  it  heats  the 
hands  and  causes  blisters.  Many  of  the 
Colonial  and  some  English  players  use 
surgical  whipping;  it  gives  a  good  grip. 
A  well-shaped  handle,  sufficiently  rough, 
is,  in  my  opinion,  best  for  all  players  ex- 
cept those  with  very  dry  hands. 

If  your  hands  get  damp  in  hot  weather, 
and  your  racket  slips,  a  pinch  of  sawdust, 
supplied  at  all  tournaments,  is  the  simple 
remedy. 

Some  players  use  rosin,  and  certainly 
this  gives  a  clinging  grip.  After  all, 
it  is  largely  a  matter  of  individual  taste, 
always  providing  that  the  artificial  grip 
does  not  disturb  the  balance  of  the 
racket. 

If  your  handle  gets  too  smooth  and 
slippery,  it  is  very  simple  to  rough  this 
with  a  file. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        21 

All-important  is  the  care  of  the  racket. 
Don't  be  worried  if  the  strings  slip  out  of 
place,  as  they  often  will.  They  will  re- 
adjust themselves  all  right.  But  do  be 
worried  if  your  strings  begin  to  fray  or  if 
the  frame  shows  signs  of  warping.  If  the 
latter,  put  it  into  a  frame  and  screw  it  up 
tightly.  A  warped  racket  can  be  pulled 
round;  but  you  must  never  leave  it  out 
of  its  frame  when  not  in  use.  A  good  way 
to  treat  a  fraying  string  is  to  wind  a  piece 
of  silk  round  the  weakening  spot.  This 
may  prove  the  stitch  in  time  which  saves 
a  new  string.  Take  extra  care  of  your 
racket. 

When  you  have  played  in  the  rain,  or 
on  a  wet  court,  do  not  rub  your  racket 
with  a  cloth.  This  will  fray  the  strings. 
Dab  it  dry  on  either  side  and  put  it  into 
its  frame. 

This  reminds  me  that  if  you  play  in 
matches  and  tournaments  you  want  two 


22         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

rackets,  one  for  dry  courts,  and  one  for 
wet.  Be  sure  they  are  both  of  the  same 
build  and  weight.  Be  sure,  too,  to  have 
your  name  clearly  marked  on  handle. 

You  cannot  play  good  tennis  with  dirty 
balls.  A  little  pains  will  always  give  you 
clean  balls.  You  may  wash  them  with 
soap  and  water  and  a  nail-brush,  you  may 
rub  them  on  cocoanut-matting,  or  you 
may  brush  them  with  a  stiffish  brush. 
But  there  is  a  better  and  simpler  way,  of 
which  an  English  friend  has  told  me. 
First  of  all  dry  the  dirty  balls;  then  rub 
them  all  over  with  dry  pipe-clay,  working 
it  in  with  the  hands,  and  finally  brush  all 
the  pipe-clay  off  with  a  stiffish  brush.  The 
balls  come  up  almost  new.  Necessarily 
the  felt  loses  some  of  its  nap,  but  at  least 
the  balls  are  clean.  Never  play  with  last 
season's  balls;  they  are  soft  and  have  lost 
their  bound  and  will  put  you  off  when 
you  come  to  play  with  good  balls. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        23 

If  you  have  a  court  of  your  own  be  sure 
that  the  lines  are  clearly  marked.  You 
can  run  these  over  in  a  few  minutes  with 
a  marker,  which  can  always  be  kept  with 
whitening  ready  mixed  in  it.  It  is  im- 
possible to  play  with  pleasure  or  accuracy 
if  the  lines  are  faint. 

Be  sure,  too,  that  your  net  has  a  centre 
tape  and  that  your  net  is  of  the  right 
height — 3  feet  at  the  center,  3  feet  6 
inches  at  the  posts.  This  is  all-important. 
Have  a  net  gauge — a  lath  of  wood  3  feet 
long.  For  playing  singles  posts  3  feet  6 
inches  high  should  be  placed  in  the 
ground  3  feet  from  the  sidelines. 

You  cannot  be  too  particular  about  any 
of  these  details. 


24         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 


CHAPTER    III 

ELEMENTS  OF  THE  GAME,  AND  STYLE 

THE  greater  part  of  this  chapter  is 
very  much  for  beginners.  But  it  would 
be  no  bad  thing  if  the  majority  of 
players  began  all  over  again.  There 
are  many  players  who,  had  they  only 
begun  right,  would  now  be  in  the  front 
rank,  instead  of  third-rate  performers. 
Even  now  it  is  not  too  late  to  mend.  But, 
alas!  many  a  player  is  so  foolish  that  she 
will  not  give  up  her  bad,  old  way  for  a 
new  and  better.  She  will  not  unlearn  and 
learn  anew  because  during  the  transition- 
ary  stage  she  will  play  worse  than  before. 
She  will  not  endure  this,  not  even  for  the 
sake  of  great  future  benefit. 

The  Dohertys  claimed  that  two  things 
chiefly  brought  them  success : 


Finishing   backhand   drive.     Note   the   follow- 
through  to  the  full  extent  of  arm 
(See  page  37) 


Overhead  service — back  view 
(See  page  58) 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        25 

1 i )  Keeping  the  eye  on  the  ball  till  it 
hit  the  racket,  or  nearly  so. 

(2)  A  good  style. 

The  former  is  possible  to  all.  The  lat- 
ter every  one  of  us  must  try  to  acquire. 

The  very  first  thing  you  must  do  is  to 
grip  your  racket  right. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  idle  talk  about 
the  "unchanging"  grip.  That  is  to  say, 
one  grip  which  does  for  both  forehand 
and  backhand. 

Mr.  R.  F.  Doherty  used  this  grip,  and, 
as  he  was  one  of  the  great  masters  of  the 
game,  many  players  think  they  must  use 
it  too.  For  not  more  than  one  player  in 
a  hundred  is  this  grip  a  natural  or  a 
comfortable  one.  Give  up  the  idea  at  once 
that  this  grip  is  necessary.  1  have  never 
used  it.  I  always  change  the  grip  for  the 
backhand.  Players  who  use  it  are  quite 
the  exception. 


26        Spalding's  A  thletic  Library 

Grip  your  racket  naturally  for  the  fore- 
hand stroke.  Grip  it  in  such  a  way  that 
you  could  strike  the  hardest  blow  with  the 
face  of  it.  No  forcing  of  the  hand  and 
wrist  into  some  fixed  position.  Freedom 
and  comfort  are  the  test.  If  your  grip 
does  not  give  you  these,  then  your  grip 
is  wrong. 

If  you  must  have  some  definite  guide, 
the  ball  of  the  thumb  should  fit  over  the 
facet  of  the  handle,  which  is  a  continua- 
tion of  the  frame  of  the  racket.  That 
should  give  a  good  average  grip.  But  no 
hard-and-fast  rule  can  be  laid  down,  for 
many  good  players,  especially  those  who 
put  lift  and  top-spin  on  the  ball,  grip 
more  at  the  back,  while  many  others  bring 
the  hand  further  forward. 

Very  few  girls  grip  right  for  the  back- 
hand strokes.  This  is  one  reason  why 
their  backhand  play  is  so  weak. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        27 

The  common  mistake,  and  chief  cause 
of  weakness,  is  having  the  wrist  in  front 
of  the  racket  pulling  it,  instead  of  behind, 
thrusting  it. 

The  backhand  grip  is  not  easily  de- 
scribed on  paper.  Find  out  with  what 
grip  you  can  strike  the  hardest  backhand 
blow;  or  try  this  plan:  stretch  your  arm 
straight  out  in  front  of  you  with  the  palm 
of  the  hand  down ;  crook  the  elbow  till  the 
forearm  is  at  right-angles  to  the  upper 
arm;  then  place  the  racket,  which  is  at 
right-angles  to  the  ground,  in  the  right 
hand.  You  will  have  the  backhand  grip, 
save  in  one  important  detail.  Place  the 
thumb  down  the  back  of  the  handle. 

Why?  you  may  ask.  Because  it  keeps 
racket,  and  so,  ball,  under  better  control. 
The  thumb  steers  the  ball  and  enables 
the  player  to  place  it  with  much  greater 
accuracy  and  deftness. 


28         Spalding's  A  thletic  Library 

Beginners  are  often  troubled  as  to  how 
they  shall  change  the  grip  from  forehand 
to  backhand,  and  vice  versa. 

If  you  rest  the  neck  of  the  racket  in 
your  left  hand  you  will  find  the  change 
very  easy.  This  is  the  ideal  way  to  hold 
the  racket  when  waiting  for  the  ball.  It 
makes  for  steadiness  too.  I  often  find  that 
beginners  hold  the  handle  right  at  the  end, 
adding,  of  course,  to  their  difficulties.  An 
inch  below  the  leather,  and  lower  down 
for  a  weak  backhand,  say,  is  a  safe  guide. 

Having  learned  the  right  grips  you 
must  now  learn  to  hit  the  ball. 

As  ground  strokes  are  the  subject  of  the 
next  chapter,  we  will  not  here  discuss  the 
playing  of  any  particular  shot. 

Beginners  always  tend  to  get  too  near 
the  ball,  thus  cramping  their  strokes  and 
their  style.  You  will  never  have  a  good 
style  unless  you  keep  well  away  from  the 
ball,  swing  your  racket  well  back  and 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        29 

follow  through  to  the  full  extent  of  arm 
and  racket. 

Be  sure  you  are  firmly  on  both  feet 
when  playing  any  shot.  No  girl  who 
jumps  about  while  playing  a  shot  will 
ever  be  much  good. 

Do  not  run  backwards  for  shots;  turn 
and  run  sideways.  Never  play  any  ground 
shots  with  your  body  square  to  the  net. 
The  sideways  position  of  the  body  is 
right. 

Remember,  your  first  aim  is  to  hit  the 
ball  over  the  net,  the  second  into  the  court. 
You  will  the  more  easily  do  this  by 
keeping  your  eye  on  the  ball  till  it  hits 
your  racket.  If  you  would  only  make  this 
a  habit  you  would  be  surprised  how  easy 
tennis  can  be. 

Do  not  try  to  skim  the  net  at  first.  A 
good  length  is  far  better  than  pace.  The 
latter  will  come  all  in  good  time.  A 
"good  length"  ball  pitches  within  a  foot 


30         Sp  aiding' s  A  thletic  Library 

or  two  of  the  baseline.  There  are  other 
"good  lengths" ;  a  ball  pitching  just  over 
the  net  is  often  a  good  length. 

Girls  are  imitative  creatures  and  may 
greatly  improve  their  style  by  watching, 
and  then  imitating,  first-class  players, 
though  not,  of  course,  their  mannerisms. 

Attain  a  good  style;  it  will  make  the 
game  easier  and  pleasanter.  Very  few 
players  with  a  bad  style  have  ever  become 
really  great. 

Finally,  take  tennis  seriously.  It  is  pain- 
ful to  see  children  "ragging"  at  tennis, 
treating  it  as  a  joke.  Parents  should  for- 
bid this  kind  of  thing. 

If  a  thing  is  worth  doing  at  all,  it  is 
worth  doing  as  well  as  you  can. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        31 


CHAPTER  IV 

GROUND  STROKES 

WHAT  are  ground  strokes?  some  one 
is  sure  to  ask.  They  are  strokes  made 
off  a  ball  that  has  bounced. 

Let  us  begin  with  the  forehand  drive. 

This  drive  is  of  different  kinds. 

Undoubtedly  the  best  forehand  drive  is 
the  horizontal  drive,  played,  with  varia- 
tions. 

One  advantage  of  this  drive  is  that  it 
saves  time — ;a  most  important  considera- 
tion. The  sooner  you  play  the  ball  after 
it  bounces  the  better.  One  of  your  aims 
must  be  to  catch  your  opponent  out  of 
position.  The  quicker  you  play  the  ball 
the  more  likely  are  you  to  do  this. 

This  drive  is  taken  at  the  top  of  the 
bound,  when  at  about  the  height  of  the 


32         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

shoulder.  You  can  understand  the  loss 
of  time  if  the  ball  is  allowed  to  drop  to 
within  a  foot,  or  a  couple  of  feet  of  the 
ground,  as  I  noticed  several  ladies  in  Eng- 
land allowed  it  to. 

To  play  the  horizontal  drive  success- 
fully, the  arm  must  be  fully  extended,  the 
ball  taken  at  about,  or  a  little  below,  the 
level  of  the  shoulder,  and  hit  with  confi- 
dence, firmness  and  a  full  swing. 

Capt.  Wilding,  who  had  the  best  fore- 
hand drive  I  have  ever  seen,  took  the  ball 
about  the  height  of  the  waist.  But  it 
would  not  do  for  everyone  to  copy  this. 

Now  there  are  three  distinct  ways  of 
applying  the  racket  for  this  drive. 

You  may  hit  the  ball  with  a  plain 
racket,  that  is  a  racket  which  meets  the 
ball  at  right  angles  to  the  ground,  and 
remains  in  that  position  through  the 
stroke.  There  is  no  spin  on  the  ball  thus 
struck. 


Low  backhand  volley.     Note  the  horizontal 

position  of  the  racket 

(See  page  43) 


Smashing — eyes  on  the  ball 
(See  page  61) 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        33 

You  may  whip  the  ball  up  from  be- 
hind, putting  top-spin  on  the  ball  and 
thus  causing  the  ball  to  spring  forward 
on  touching  the  ground. 

Or,  thirdly,  you  may  turn  the  racket 
slightly  over  the  ball  as  you  strike  it. 

Remember  this,  that  when  you  meet  an 
opponent  who  uses  the  top-spin  drive,  you 
need  to  grip  your  racket  very  firmly  and 
watch  the  ball  closely.  You  must  attack 
the  ball  boldly.  If  you  do  not  the  ball 
will  fly  all  over  the  place.  Though  never 
seeing  her  play,  I  am  told  Miss  May 
Sutton  puts  a  tremendous  amount  of  top- 
spin  on  her  drive. 

I  never  use  top-spin  myself,  but  hit  the 
ball  with  a  plain  racket,  and  believe  this  is 
the  best  way. 

One  trouble  about  the  horizontal  drive 
is  that  on  a  slow,  wet  court  the  ball  does 
not  get  up  the  convenient  height.  Well, 
if  the  ball  does  not  get  up,  you  must  get 


34         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

down.  In  other  words  you  must  stoop, 
and  for  the  rest  you  must  do  the  best  you 
can.  If  you  have  a  head  on  your  shoulders 
and  any  sort  of  gift  for  the  game,  you  will 
rise  superior  to  difficulties  of  this  kind. 
In  fact,  difficulties  are  the  test  of  ability. 

There  is  another  way  of  treating  a  ball 
which  rises  to  the  height  of  the  shoulder. 
You  may  cut  it  with  your  racket  in  a 
vertical  position,  almost  after  the  manner 
of  a  service.  This  is  a  great  shot  with 
some  players.  It  comes  very  fast  off  the 
racket. 

All  important  for  the  horizontal  drive, 
and  for  the  other  two  which  I  shall  briefly 
describe  in  a  moment,  is  the  position  of 
the  feet.  You  will  never  make  this  drive 
well  if  you  face  the  net.  Your  feet  must 
be  parallel  to  the  cross-lines  of  the  court, 
not  the  sidelines.  To  put  it  simply,  you 
must  stand  sideways,  with  the  left  foot  in 
advance  of  the  right. 


Sp  aiding' s  Athletic  Library        35 

The  underhand  lift  drive  is  out  of  date, 
except  such,  as  I  am  told,  is  used  by  the 
Japanese,  which  demands  a  very  power- 
ful wrist  flick,  but  many  players  use  a  shot 
much  like  it.  The  ball  is  allowed  to  drop 
within  a  foot  or  two  of  the  ground  and  the 
racket  swung  on  to  it  with  an  upward 
blow,  much  after  the  manner  of  the  ordi- 
nary underhand  service. 

For  the  cut  drive  the  racket  ipasses 
under  the  ball  from  right  to  left,  putting 
spin  on  it  and  causing  it  to  break  on 
pitching  from  left  to  right,  that  is,  to  the 
backhand  of  the  opposing  player.  On 
wet  courts,  of  which  players  usually  get  a 
good  many  in  England,  the  cut  drive  is 
very  effective,  it  keeps  low  and  tends  to 
shoot.  It  is  also,  owing  to  the  spin  on  the 
ball,  a  very  nasty  drive  to  volley. 

One  advantage  to  the  player  who  uses 
the  cut  drive  is  that  it  is  easier  for  her  to 
play  drop  shots  and  lobs. 


36         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

In  France  we  make  little,  or  no,  use  of 
cut  shots.  We  believe  in  hitting  the  ball 
hard  and  clean  with  the  full  face  of  the 
racket. 

Now  for  the  backhand  drive,  so  diffi- 
cult to  most  girls.  You  know  the  grip.  If 
not,  refresh  your  memory  by  turning  to 
Chapter  II. 

As  few  girls  could  ever  master  a  back- 
hand drive  with  topspin,  I  shall  describe 
only  the  cut  drive  and  the  plain-hit  drive. 

To  take  the  latter  first. 

Get  your  feet  right.  The  correct  posi- 
tion of  the  feet  is  essential  for  the  proper 
playing  of  the  backhand.  Right  foot  well 
in  advance  of  left,  and  body  in  a  sideways 
position  to  the  net.  Keep  well  away  from 
the  ball,  take  it  about  the  height  of  the 
waist,  slightly  bend  the  right  knee,  and 
swing  the  racket  well  on  to  it  and  follow 
through  to  the  full  extent  of  arm  and 
racket. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        37 

Remember  that  to  get  accuracy  of  di- 
rection you  must  send  your  racket  after 
the  ball,  so  to  speak.  Or,  to  put  it  differ- 
ently, you  must  follow  through  in  the 
line  of  the  flight  of  the  ball.  Test  and 
prove  it. 

Wrong  body  and  feet  position  and 
wrong  grip  are  chiefly  the  reasons  why 
most  girls  play  such  a  poor  backhand 
shot. 

Be  sure  to  keep  the  racket  in  a  hori- 
zontal position.  See  that  the  head  of  the 
racket  is  not  below  the  level  of  the  wrist. 

The  way  for  a  beginner  to  learn  the 
backhand  stroke  is  to  stab  it.  For  this 
practically  only  wrist  and  forearm  are 
used.  Later  the  swing  may  be  lengthened 
and  finally  full  use  made  of  the  body.  It  is 
wonderful  what  power  may  be  put  into 
a  backhand  drive  if  the  player  expands 
her  chest  and  throws  back  her  shoulders 
at  the  moment  of  hitting  the  ball. 


38         Spalding's  A  thletic  Library 

To  drive  backhand  with  cut,  the  racket 
passes  under  the  ball  from  left  to  right. 
Many  girls  who  play  the  top-spin  drive 
forehand,  employ  this  cut  drive  backhand. 
It  seems  very  common  in  England. 

The  lob  is  a  ground  stroke  no  player 
could  do  without.  Unless  accurately 
played  it  is  a  gift  to  your  opponent.  Lob 
high  and  deep,  high  enough  to  clear  your 
opponent,  deep  enough  to  make  her  run 
out  of  court. 

A  lob  that  pitches  within  a  yard  of  the 
baseline  is  a  good  one,  that  pitches  on  the 
service  line  a  bad  one. 

Grip  firmly,  keep  your  eye.  on  the  ball, 
and  play  it  with  great  care.  Go  out  onto 
your  court  and  practice  lobbing,  half-an- 
hour  at  a  time.  It  will  repay  you.  Mr. 
Roper  Barrett,  who  is  regarded  in  Eng- 
land as  prince  of  lobbers,  learned  this 
way,  so  I  am  told. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        39 

Drop-shots  are  very  useful  against 
baseline  players.  They  are  risky,  of 
course,  and  need  a  deft  touch.  They  are 
best  played  with  a  cut.  Remember  that 
there  is  nothing  mean  about  them,  as 
many  people  imagine.  They  are  a  high 
form  of  skill,  among  the  most  delicate 
shots  in  the  game.  Mrs.  Lambert  Cham- 
bers often  used  this  shot  against  me  in  the 
challenge  round  of  the  championship  at 
Wimbledon. 


40         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 


CHAPTER  V 

VOLLEY  AND  HALF-VOLLEY 
I  FEEL  very  much  at  home  in  this  chap- 
ter. My  favorite  place  is  at  the  net,  and 
I  get  there  on  the  first  chance.  I  would 
encourage  all  girls  to  do  the  same.  Ten- 
nis would  seldom  be  dull  if  girls  learned 
to  volley.  Nothing  is  more  monotonous 
than  a  girls'  double  with  all  four  players 
sticking  to  the  back  of  the  court.  Those 
who  teach  the  young  tennis  should  insist 
on  one  player  on  each  side  being  up  at  the 
net. 

The  rising  generation  must  be  a  race 
of  volleyers. 

It  is  curious  that  while  boys  volley 
from  the  earliest  age,  girls  invariably  play 
from  the  back  of  the  court.  It  amounts 
almost  to  a  creed  with  some  people  that 


Beginning  of  forehand  drive,  as  played  by 
Mrs.  Lambert  Chambers 

(See  page  32) 


Another  finish  of  the  forehand  drive.     According  to 
[orthodox    ideas    the    weight    is    on    the    wrong    foot 

(See   page    37) 

1 


Sp  aiding' s  Athletic  Library        41 

volleying  is  for  men  and  boys,  baseline 
play  for  women  and  girls. 

Girl  volleyers  are  so  rare  as  to  create 
quite  a  sensation. 

Apart  from  any  tradition  in  the  matter, 
girls  do  not  volley  because  they  think 
volleying  is  difficult.  I  am  going  to  try 
to  persuade  them  here  that  it  is  easier  than 
strokes  off  the  ground.  It  is  really  a  mat- 
ter of  common  sense.  The  ball  may  do 
so  many  different  things  after  it  bounces, 
It  may  get  up  high,  it  may  keep  low,  or  it 
may  screw,  or  shoot  or  hang  or  take  a  for- 
ward leap.  Then  the  player  must  calcu- 
late the  best  height  at  which  to  take  the 
ball.  The  volley  has  none  of  these  diffi- 
culties. You  simply  have  to  put  your 
racket  in  the  way  of  the  ball,  square  to  it. 
The  racket  and  the  ball  will  do  the  rest. 

Once  get  rid  of  the  idea  that  the  volley 
is  difficult  and  you  have  overcome  the 
chief  difficulty  of  the  volley. 


42         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

Don't  you  all  know  how  a  girl  when  she 
is  caught  in  the  middle  of  the  court  and 
faced  with  a  volley  gets  flurried,  probably 
shrieks,  and  gives  a  wild  hit  at  the  ball, 
catching  it  as  often  as  not  on  the  frame  of 
her  racket?  All  so  unnecessary.  If  she 
steadied  herself,  got  her  feet  firmly  on  the 
ground,  gripped  her  racket,  kept  her  eye 
on  the  ball  and  let  it  hit  her  racket,  the 
result  would  be  very  different.  And  all 
these  things  are  quite  simple  to  perform. 
She  is  not  being  asked  to  do  anything 
difficult. 

You  volley  badly  because  you  imagine 
you  must  hit  the  ball.  If  you  get  near 
enough  to  the  net  very  little  hitting  will 
be  necessary. 

Let  me  emphasize  here  that  the  worst 
possible  place  in  the  court  for  volleying 
is  on  the  service  line.  The  nearer  you 
are  to  the  net  the  better,  especially  when 
your  partner  is  serving.  There  is  no 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        43 

definite  distance,  but  anything  from  three 
feet  to  three  yards  is  a  good  average  dis- 
tance. 

In  learning  to  volley  hold  the  racket 
very  firm.  As  you  grow  in  confidence 
you  will  increase  the  swing  and  the  power 
of  your  shot.  The  racket  must  be  held 
square  to  the  ground,  that  is  at  right 
angles  to  it.  Wrists  play  a  big  part  in 
volleying. 

It  is  important  for  both  forehand  and 
backhand  volleying  to  keep  the  wrist  so 
pressed  down  that  the  head  of  the  racket 
is  above  it,  or,  at  any  rate,  not  below  it. 
This  holds  good  for  low  volleying,  the 
stroke  at  which  the  Dohertys  are  said 
never  to  have  had  an  equal.  If  you  are 
to  low  volley  well  you  must  go  down  to 
the  ball  by  bending  knees  and  body.  The 
low  volley  played  with  a  hanging  racket 
is  not  nearly  so  accurate. 


44         Spaldvhg's  Athletic  Library 

Do  not  rush  at  a  volley.  Observe  a 
really  good  volleyer  and  you  will  see  that 
she  steadies  herself  for  the  shot,  and  is, 
when  she  plays  it  firmly,  on  both  feet. 
No  girl  who  flings  herself  about  in  the  act 
of  hitting  the  ball  will  ever  be  much  good. 

I  firmly  believe  that  the  thumb  should 
be  down  the  handle  for  backhand  driv- 
ing, and  for  volleying  as  well,  though  but 
few  of  the  better  male  players  use  this 

grip. 

Many  of  you  have  never  heard  of  such 
a  grip  before.  I  promise  you  a  new  en- 
joyment in  the  game  if  you  will  only 
try  it. 

By  getting  near  to  the  net,  you  volley 
rising  balls  instead  of  the  dropping  ones 
you  would  have  to  deal  with  further  back 
in  the  court.  Nothing  is  harder  to  volley 
than  a  dropping  ball ;  nothing  easier  than 
a  rising  one.  When  volleying  the  latter 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        45 

be  sure  to  volley  downwards:  near  the 
net  this  is  easy.  Played  from  there  it 
should  always  be  an  attacking  stroke. 

Long  rallies  are  not  necessarily  a  sign 
of  good  tennis.  It  is  your  business  to  put 
an  end  to  long  rallies.  The  net  is  the  best 
place  for  this.  I  have  seen  rallies  go 
on  till  one's  eyes  ached  with  following 
the  ball ;  rallies  which  one  of  the  players 
would  have  brought  to  a  successful  end 
after  two  or  three  exchanges  by  going  up 
and  volleying. 

And  how  watchful  you  need  to  be  at  the 
net!  If  in  a  double  you  must  keep  on 
your  toes,  ready  for  a  dash  across  the  net. 

In  garden-party  tennis  you  will  no 
doubt  be  accused  of  poaching,  but  that  is 
simply  ignorance.  In  this  kind  of  pat-ball 
tennis  it  is  almost  rude  for  a  man  to  serve 
first!  And  it  used  to  be  the  height  of  bad 
manners  to  trespass  in  your  partner's 
court 


46         Sp  aiding' s  A  thletic  Library 

The  net  player,  remember,  has  a  free 
hand  at  the  net.  She  can  go  across  when- 
ever she  likes. 

The  "stop  and  draw"  volleys  are  very 
useful  to  the  net  player.  They  drop  the 
ball  short  over  the  net  and  are  effective 
when  the  opponent  is  out  of  position  at 
the  back  of  the  court. 

They  must  be  played — the  "draw"  by 
cutting  or  drawing  the  racket  across  the 
ball,  the  "stop"  by  relaxing  the  grip,  and 
as  it  were,  withdrawing  the  racket  from 
the  ball,  only  much  practice  will  enable 
you  to  play  these  volleys  at  all  success- 
fully. It  requires  courage  and  confidence 
to  use  these  and  other  drop  shots  in  a 
match,  because  of  the  attendant  risk. 

No  volley  is  less  played  in  lawn  tennis 
than  the  "lob"  volley.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  difficult  strokes  to  execute,  and  re- 
quires the  utmost  precision,  and  must  be 
done,  as  it  were,  on  the  spur  of  the  mo- 


S folding's  Athletic  Library        47 

ment.  It  is  generally  played  with  back- 
spin  on  it  to  keep  the  ball  in  court. 

It  is  most  generally  used  in  doubles 
play  when  all  four  players  are  at  the  net. 
After  a  series  of  short  exchanges  at  the 
net,  a  "lob"  volley  is  apt  to  take  one's 
opponents  by  surprise.  It  has  the  effect, 
if  of  the  right  length  and  height,  of  driv- 
ing them  back  and  giving  the  other  side 
sole  possession  of  the  net,  which  is  what 
they  most  want. 

This  volley  is  very  seldom  seen  in  ladies' 
doubles,  for  the  simple  reason  that  all  four 
players  are  rarely  up  at  the  net  together. 
Even  so,  it  might  often  be  used  with  ad- 
vantage instead  of  the  usual  hit  down  the 
court.  The  player  at  the  net  would  some- 
times be  wiser  to  lob  volley  the  opposing 
net  player  than  to  return  the  ball  to  the 
player  at  the  back  of  the  court. 

As  overhead  volleys  are  for  the  next 
chapter,  I  will  pass  on  to  a  stroke  which 


48         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

is  between  a  volley  and  a  ground  stroke, 
namely,  the  half-volley. 

For  the  benefit  of  beginners  I  had  bet- 
ter define  this.  A  half-volley  is  played 
when  the  ball  is  struck  directly  after  it 
hits  the  ground.  English  boys  will  recog- 
nize it  as  the  same  thing  as  the  drop-kick 
at  Rugby  football.  Also  they  will  recog- 
nize it  as  a,  cricket  term. 

The  secret  of  playing  the  half-volley 
is  to  keep  your  eye  on  the  ball.  The  stroke 
is  as  easy  again  if  this  is  really  done. 

Have  you  ever  seen  Mr.  Caridia,  one 
of  the  famous  English  players,  play?  He 
makes  the  half-volley  look  a  very  simple 
stroke.  In  fact,  it  is  his  chief  stroke.  He 
attacks  with  it  and  defends  with  it;  it  is 
almost  his  whole  game.  I  played  several 
practice  games  with  him  at  Wimbledon 
and  can  write  of  his  half-volley  from 
personal  knowledge. 


Forehand  cut   drive  or  underhand   service,  as  played 

by  Mrs.  Larcombe 

(See  page   35) 


Backhand  cut  drive,  as  played  by  Mrs.  Larcombe 
(See  page  36) 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        49 

When  a  girl  has  played  a  half-volley 
ten  to  one  she  regards  it  either  as  a  fluke 
or  as  a  very  wonderful  performance.  It 
need  not  be  the  former  and  it  certainly  is 
not  the  latter. 

If  a  volley  is  not  possible  and  you  can- 
not get  back  for  a  comfortable  drive  then 
you  must  try  for  a  half-volley.  Steady 
yourself  for  it,  look  down  at  the  ball  and 
do  not  lift  your  head. 

Do  not  play  the  half-volley  with  a 
hanging  racket— -though  sometimes  that 
cannot  be  avoided — but  try  to  get  the 
racket  as  near  as  possible  to  the  hori- 
zontal. Of  course  you  will  need  to  stoop 
for  this  stroke. 

Mr.  William  Johnston,  the  American 
champion,  is  a  past  master  of  the  half- 
volley  on  attack,  as  is  also,  I  have  heard, 
the  internationalist,  Mr.  F.  B.  Alexander. 
The  half-volley  is  chiefly  an  emergency, 
or,  at  any  rate,  defensive  stroke.  Mr. 


50         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

Norman  Brookes  often  returns  smashes 
by  means  of  the  half-volley  with  great 
ease  and  without  any  hurry. 

You  may  observe  one  thing  about  all 
the  best  players  of  the  half-volley.  They 
pick  it  up  with  a  very  quick  action. 
Another  thing  they  do  when  using  it  for 
attack  is  to  turn  the  racket  over  the  ball, 
somewhat,  when  hitting  it. 

It  is  a  very  pretty  stroke,  especially  on 
the  backhand,  and  well  worth  learning. 

The  volleyer  must,  of  course,  be  sure  of 
it,  for  she  will  frequently  have  balls  drop- 
ping just  where  a  half-volley  is  the  only 
stroke  she  can  use. 

Some,  perhaps,  will  say  that  the  half- 
volley  is  too  difficult  for  beginners.  But 
you  hope  to  be  something  more  than 
beginners  soon.  And  you  can  easily  leave 
the  study  of  the  half-volley  till  you  have 
learned  the  more  simple  strokes  of  the 
game. 


S  paid-in  g's  Athletic  Library         51 


CHAPTER  VI 

SERVICE  AND  OVERHEAD'PLAY 

So  many  young  players  think  of  the 
service  merely  as  the  means  of  starting 
the  game.  They  do  not  regard  it  as  a 
weapon  of  attack  at  all.  And  yet  it  can 
be,  should  be,  indeed,  and  often  is,  the 
chief  attacking  force  in  a  player's  game. 

Realizing  this,  the  young  Colonial 
players  make  service  the  chief  feature 
of  their  game.  The  American,  Mr. 
McLoughlin,  made  his  great  reputation 
chiefly  on  his  service.  So  has  Mr.  Patter- 
son, the  Australian.  And  many  others 
owe  their  success  mainly  to  their  service. 

If  you  can  devise  a  service  which  will 
win  you  points  outright  you  will,  of 
course,  greatly  strengthen  your  game. 


52         Sp aiding3 's  A  thletic  Library 

But  I  am  quite  sure  girls  could  learn  to 
serve  a  great  deal  better  than  they  do. 

Which  shall  a  girl  use — the  overhead  or 
the  underhand  service?  To  use  the  over- 
head service  for  the  sake  of  using  it  is 
silly. 

Many  girls  serve  overhead  because  they 
think  it  looks  well.  That  is  a  poor  reason. 
They  cannot  volley,  cannot  smash,  and 
play  entirely  from  the  back  of  the  court 
And  yet  they  serve  overhead — a  stroke 
they  never  use  during  the  rest  of  the  game, 

Most  first-class  ladies  serve  overhead, 
though  Mrs.  Larcombe,  an  ex-champion, 
serves  underhand.  Certainly  it  may  be 
said  that  an  underhand  service  is  no  bar 
to  success. 

If  you  are  a  baseline  :^ivsr  with  no 
ability  to  volley  or  smasJ;  ;  vi  -hculd  serve 
underhand,  and  your  service  should  be  as 
like  as  possible  to  your  forehand  ground 
shot. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        53 

As  you  are  allowed  two  serves,  you  may 
take  any  risks  you  like  with  the  first  But 
if  you  find  you  are  never  getting  your 
first  fast  service  in,  do  not  go  on  blazing 
away  with  it.  Try  a  medium  one.  Better 
ten  medium  ones  than  one  fast  one  and 
nine  soft  ones  which  an  opponent  can  do 
anything  she  likes  with.  Many  girls  who 
serve  underhand  stand  far  behind  the 
baseline.  It  does  not  seem  to  strike  them 
that  the  further  they  stand  from  the  netr 
the  slower  the  ball  when  it  reaches  their 
opponent.  By  toeing  the  baseline  they 
could  serve  just  as  fast  and  save  them- 
selves a  good  deal  of  energy,  and  by  using 
the  same  amount  of  energy  could,  of 
course,  serve  proportionately  faster.  Their 
reason  for  standing  far  back  is  that  they 
serve  fewer  faults.  Practice  and  perse- 
verance would  soon  enable  them  to  serve 
just  as  accurately  from  the  baseline. 


54         Spa! ding's  A  thletic  L ibrary 

The  trouble  with  girls  nowadays  is 
that  they  will  play  games  every  time 
they  go  to  the  courts,  instead  of  practicing 
strokes. 

If  you  would  only  take  a  stroke  at  a 
time  and  practice,  practice,  practice  it, 
you  would  build  up  a  sound  game  and  be 
sure  of  success. 

Supposing  those  of  you  who  serve  un- 
derhand decide  that  you  will  practice 
serving,  what  are  you  to  strive  for? 

First  of  all  you  must  strike  for  a  good 
length.  You  must  try  to  serve  within  a 
foot  of  the  service  line.  Then  you  must 
vary  the  direction  of  the  service,  serving 
sometimes  down  the  middle  line,  some- 
times into  the  opposite  corner.  Then  try 
a  short  one,  dropped  just  over  the  net 
with  enough  cut  on  it  to  keep  it  low. 
Then  try  serving  from  different  parts  of 
the  baseline.  You  are  not  bound  to  serve 
from  one  particular  spot.  To  practice 


S folding's  Athletic  Library        55 

these  things  will  give  you  confidence  when 
you  come  to  play  in  a  game  or  match. 
You  can  experiment  upon  your  opponents, 
but  with  the  comfortable  feeling  that  it  is 
not  really  an  experiment  for  you.  You 
have  tried  it  before. 

Use  your  wits  when  serving.  Find  out 
the  weakness  of  your  opponent.  Is  she 
weak  on  her  backhand?  then  serve  to  that. 
A  cut  service  to  a  weak  backhand  on  a  wet 
court  is  very  deadly. 

Coming  to  the  overhead  service:  it 
must  be  pretty  clear  that  if  you  can  throw 
a  cricket  ball  after  a  boy's  and  not  a  girl's 
fashion,  you  ought  to  be  able  to  serve  over- 
head. 

As  cricket  is  fairly  generally  taught  at 
girls'  schools,  most  English  girls  know 
how  to  throw,  and  throwing  is  just  the 
action  of  serving.  If  you  wish  to  be  a 
volleyer,  you  should  certainly  learn  to 


56         Spalding's  A  thletic  Library 

serve  overhead,  as  it  will  make  smashing 
easier  for  you. 

No  two  players  serve  just  alike,  but 
there  are  certain  general  principles  which 
you  must  observe. 

Take  up  your  position  behind  the  base- 
line, with  your  left  toe  a  few  inches  be- 
hind it,  and  well  in  advance  of  the  right 
foot,  and  your  body  sideways.  You  will 
never  serve  with  much  power  if  you  stand 
too  square  to  the  net. 

For  the  beginning  of  the  service  the 
body  is  arched  back,  the  right  shoulder 

pressed  back  and  down,  the  wrist  kept 

/ 

loose,  and  the  racket  allowed  to  drop  be- 
hind the  back. 

You  will  see  all  this  well  illustrated  by 
almost  any  of  the  first-class  men,  and  by 
such  players  as  Mrs.  Lambert  Chambers, 
while  the  photographs  of  myself  serving 
clearly  show  this. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library         57 

The  throw-up  of  the  ball  is  most  im- 
portant. The  height  to  which  it  should 
be  thrown  troubles  many  players.  Some 
do  not  throw  it  high  enough;  some  few 
too  high.  The  latter  are  generally  both- 
ered by  a  wind. 

I  think  it  is  well  to  try  to  serve  as  cor- 
rectly as  possible  from  the  start;  and  not 
begin,  as  some  advise,  by  merely  patting 
the  ball  over  the  net,  or  you  may  fall  into 
a  bad  habit. 

The  ball  should  be  thrown  up  slightly 
to  the  right  of  the  head  to  the  height  of 
about  six  feet  or  a  little  less. 

Practice  throwing  up  the  ball.  On  the 
accuracy  of  this  depends  the  success  of 
the  service.  I  do  not  recommend  the  be- 
ginner to  carry  three  balls  in  her  hand. 

As  soon  as  the  ball  is  at  the  required 
height,  the  racket  is  swung  up  and  over 
the  right  shoulder.  Without  proper  tim- 


58         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

ing  the  service  will  not  be  a  good  one. 
But  timing  cannot  be  taught  on  paper. 

The  importance  of  the  follow  through 
cannot  be  exaggerated.  In  a  correct  fol- 
low through  the  racket  finishes  past  the 
left  knee,  or,  in  the  case  of  some  players, 
past  the  right. 

After  deciding  where  she  will  place  her 
service,  the  player  must  look  at  nothing 
but  the  ball  till  she  has  struck  it.  To  try 
to  look  at  two  things  at  once,  at  the  ball 
and  where  she  means  to  place  it,  results 
in  failure. 

Length  and  placing  are  just  as  import- 
ant, of  course,  as  in  underhand  service. 
It  is  certainly  easier  to  place  an  overhead 
service  accurately.  Some  authorities  claim 
that  greater  accuracy  is  given  by  having 
the  first  finger  somewhat  up  the  racket. 

The  Americans  introduced  a  service 
which  has  since  been  called  "American." 
The  special  feature  of  it  is  its  big  break. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library         59 

As  you  will  often  meet  this — if  you  play 
in  tournaments — it  will  be  well  if  I  de- 
scribe it  here  and  give  you  a  few  tips  as 
to  how  you  should  play  it. 

Meeting  it  for  the  first  time  and  know- 
ing nothing  of  its  peculiarities,  you  will 
be  terribly  puzzled  by  it.  But  if  you  take 
note  of  what  follows  you  will  at  least  be 
able  to  make  an  intelligent  attempt  to 
play  it. 

This  service  is  of  two  kinds :  the  "ordi- 
nary" American  and  the  "reverse"  Ameri- 
can. In  the  "ordinary,"  the  server's  racket 
crosses  the  ball  from  left  to  right;  in  the 
reverse,  from  right  to  left.  A  little 
thought  will  make  it  quite  clear  that  in  the 
"ordinary"  the  ball  is  spinning  from  left 
to  right  and  on  pitching  will  break  to  the 
right,  that  is  to  the  backhand  of  the  player 
receiving  the  service.  The  "reverse"  is 
just  the  other  way  and  breaks  to  the  fore- 
hand. Remember  this:  the  ball  always 


60         Sp aiding3 s  A  thletic  Library 

breaks  the  way  the  racket  goes,  or  in  more 
usual  terms,  "breaks  with  the  racket." 

So  you  can  always  tell  which  way  the 
ball  will  break.  If  the  server's  racket 
goes  from  left  (his)  to  right,  the  ball  will 
break  from  left  to  right — that  is,  to  your 
backhand.  If  his  racket  crosses  his  face 
from  right  to  left,  the  ball  will  break  that 
way — that  is  to  your  forehand. 

Now  you  will  know  what  to  expect. 

As  the  American  service  has  much  spin 
on  it  you  need  to  grip  your  racket  very 
firmly  and  hit  the  ball  boldly.  A  half- 
hearted hit  will  meet  with  failure. 

This  next  point  is  most  important.  As 
the  ordinary  American  service  is  spinning 
from  left  to  right,  it  tends  to  go  on  in  that 
direction  of!  the  racket.  Returning  it  out 
of  the  left  court  with  your  backhand,  you 
will  need  to  aim  well  inside  the  sideline  if 
you  are  to  keep  the  ball  in.  That  is  the 
experience  of  every  one  who  has  met  this 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        61 

service.    After  all  it  is  a  matter  of  com- 
mon sense  and  spin. 

The  reverse  service  tends  to  fly  off  the 
racket  the  other  way.  Therefore  you  must 
aim  to  the  left  of  the  spot  you  want  to 
send  the  ball  to. 

I  am  not  going  to  advise  girls  to  learn 
how  to  serve  the  American  service,  though 
this  will  no  doubt  come  in  time.  Miss 
Ryan  serves  a  sort  of  reverse  American, 
or  rather,  perhaps,  reverse  cut.  Possibly 
the  American  service  would  be  too  exact- 
ing for  girls,  and  few  of  them  would  have 
strong  enough  wrists.  But  no  doubt  if 
they  began  early  enough  they  would  pick 
it  up  all  right. 

As  overhead  play  is  included  in  this 
chapter,  I  must  refer  to  the  "smash." 
This,  when  on  the  forehand,  is  similar  to 
the  service,  and  must  be  played  in  the 
same  way.  Few  girls  play  it  well.  They 
hit  wildly  at  the  ball  and  take  their  eye  off 


62         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

it,  and  da  not  get  far  enough  under  it. 
The  ball  should  be  rather  behind  the 
player's  head  than  in  front  of  it,  except,  of 
course,  in  the  case  of  an  easy  ball  near 
the  net. 

There  are  quiet  smashes  as  well  as  hard 
ones,  though  many  players  seem  to  think 
there  are  only  the  latter.  Games  without 
number  are  lost  by  players  slamming  at 
an  overhead  ball  instead  of  quietly  plac- 
ing it  out  of  their  opponent's  reach. 

The  backhand  smash  is  much  more  dif- 
ficult. Thumb  down  is  essential  to  this 
stroke.  I  have  found  it  very  useful  in 
doubles  play. 

One  is  often  called  upon  to  play  a  volley 
just  about  the  height  of  the  head.  This 
is  played  with  a  vertical  racket,  some- 
times as  a  chop  stroke,  at  others  as  a  push 
stroke. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        63 


CHAPTER  VII 
TACTICS 

IT  is  necessary  to  assume  now  that  you 
can  make  the  different  strokes  of  the  game 
with  some  degree  of  ease  and  accuracy. 
Until  you  can  do  this  it  is,  of  course, 
absurd  to  talk  of  tactics.  Only  when  you 
can  control  the  ball  and  make  it  do  more 
or  less  what  you  want  it  to  do  can  you 
employ  tactics. 

Tactics  are,  as  it  were,  the  brains  of 
the  game — the  devices  by  which  you  out- 
wit your  opponent. 

I  wish  every  girl  had  the  opportunity 
of  watching,  say,  Mrs.  Lambert  Chambers 
play.  Many  players  keep  banging  the  ball 
over  the  net  with  the  hope  that  sooner  or 
later  their  opponent  will  miss  it.  Every 
shot  Mrs.  Chambers  plays  has  a  definite 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        65 

The  tactics  in  singles  and  doubles  will 
be  different. 

Take  singles  first. 

Supposing  you  are  playing  in  a  tourna- 
ment, tactics  begin  with  the  spin  of  the 
racket.  "Rough"  you  call  and  win.  What 
advantage  is  this?  In  tournaments,  you 
know,  you  change  courts  after  the  first 
game  and  every  succeeding  odd  game.  If 
you  win  the  toss  you  will  choose  either 
service  or  the  worst  end.  If  you  have  a 
strong  service  elect  to  serve.  If  you  have 
a  weak  service  elect  to  play  the  first  game 
against  the  sun  or  wind  or  bad  back- 
ground, or  whatever  it  is  that  makes  one 
court  worse  than  the  other. 

In  singles  you  should  stand  as  near  as 
possible  to  the  middle  of  the  baseline  and 
serve  down  the  middle  line.  If  a  baseline 
player  you  will  retreat  behind  the  base- 
line after  serving,  further  on  a  fast  than  a 
slow  court.  Keep  on  your  toes,  ready  to 


66         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

spring  forward,  or  to  dart  this  way  or 
that.  Remember  that  it  is  easier  to  run 
forward  than  back,  therefore  the  import- 
ance of  keeping  well  back. 

So  many  girls  stand  in  the  most  difficult 
place  in  court,  midway  between  base  and 
service  lines. 

Where  you  must  stand  when  receiving 
the  service  largely  depends  on  the  kind  of 
service.  If  fast,  you  need  to  stand  almost 
on  the  baseline;  if  slow,  half-way  between 
base  and  service  lines. 

In  returning  the  service  do  not  always 
try  for  a  winning  shot  at  once.  Play  the 
return  of  service  down  the  line.  Do  not 
try  for  pace,  but  for  a  good  length.  This 
will  drive  your  opponent  well  back  and 
enable  you  to  get  to  the  net. 

To  discover  your  opponent's  weakness 
is  the  first  step  to  successful  tactics.  And 
it  must  soon  become  obvious  to  any  one 
with  eyes  what  a  player's  chief  weakness 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        67 

is.  Most  players  are  stronger  on  the  fore- 
hand than  backhand.  That  means  you 
must  attack  chiefly  the  backhand  of  such 
players.  This  is  definite  and  simple 
enough.  You  have  got  to  keep  on  playing 
the  ball  to  your  opponent's  backhand  un- 
til she  breaks  down  or  until  she  returns 
a  short  easy  ball  which  you  can  kill  or 
quickly  put  beyond  her  reach.  Be  warned, 
however,  for  there  is  such  a  thing  as  giv- 
ing your  opponent's  weak  stroke  so  much 
practice  that  it  becomes  strong.  If  you 
see  this  is  happening,  change  suddenly 
and  place  the  ball  to  her  forehand. 

Do  not  forget  that  two  can  play  at  tac- 
tics. And  an  important  part  of  tactics 
is  to  discover  what  are  your  opponent's 
tactics. 

For  example:  a  player  with  a  strong 
forehand  drive  will  tempt  you  to  feed  this 
stroke  by  leaving  her  forehand  court  open. 
Well,  you  are  not  to  be  tempted.  Keep 


68         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

on  playing  the  ball  well  into  her  left 
court.  And  sooner  or  later  in  her  desire 
to  get  in  a  forehand  shot  she  will  leave 
the  right  court  too  open.  Then  is  your 
chance  to  slip  the  ball  past  her  into  the 
right-hand  corner  of  her  court. 

How  often  does  the  young  player  think 
of  lobbing  in  the  middle  of  a  long  rally 
to  rest  herself?  By  lobbing,  a  player  can 
recover  her  breath  and  her  position. 

When  your  opponent  is  in  an  attacking 
position  at  the  net  and  you  are  at  the  back 
of  the  court  you  have  one  of  two  courses 
open  to  you.  Either  you  can  try  to  pass 
her,  or  you  may  lob  over  her  head.  The 
latter  is  the  safer,  but  it  does  pot  neces- 
sarily win  you  the  point.  The  passing 
shot  is  risky,  but,  if  successfully  played, 
wins  you  the  point.  You  should  copy  the 
/example  of  Mrs.  Chambers  when  trying 
/  to  pass  an  opponent  at  the  net.  After 
making  up  her  mind  where  to  place  the 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        69 

ball,  and  looking  once  in  that  direction, 
she  keeps  her  eye  on  the  ball  and  ignores 
the  player  at  the  net. 

If  you  worry  too  much  about  the  player 
at  the  net  you  are  certain  to  look  at  her 
more  than  at  the  ball.  If  so  you  will  play 
into  her  hands. 

Girls  who  wish  to  be  net  players  must 
not  think  they  can  get  to  the  net  directly 
they  have  returned  the  service;  they  must 
not  go  up  to  the  net  on  every  ball.  It 
would  be  folly  to  go  up,  for  example,  on 
a  ball  pitching  on  the  service  line.  Any 
ordinary  player  could  pass  you  if  you  did. 
On  the  other  hand,  you  may  safely  go  up 
on  a  hard  drive  to  the  middle,  between 
service  and  base  lines.  It  is  very  difficult 
for  an  opponent  to  pass  you  from  there. 

When  you  get  to  the  net  you  will  be 
worse  off  than  further  back,  unless  you 
know  how  to  cross  volley  or  stop  volley. 


70         S  pal  ding's  A  th  letic  L  ibrary 

You  must  be  ready  to  change  your  tac- 
tics. If  you  are  a  baseliner  against  a  base- 
liner,  try  running  in  to  the  net  now  and 
then  and  see  if  this  will  put  your  opponent 
off.  If  it  flusters  her  continue  these  tac- 
tics. 

Vary  your  tactics  when  you  are  40/15, 
or  wanting  an  ace  for  the  set  or  match. 
Serve  from  a  different  part  of  the  court. 
Lob  if  you  have  been  driving;  drive  hard 
if  you  have  been  lobbing.  If  at  this  stage 
you  get  an  easy  overhead  ball  at  the  net, 
kill  it!  Countless  matches  and  champion- 
ships have  been  lost  because  players  were 
too  timid  to  take  risks  when  within  an  ace 
of  victory.  Then  a  bold  policy  is  nearly 
always  the  best.  It  was  by  taking  risks 
that  I  won  the  championship  at  Wimble- 
don. When  the  score  was  7  all  in  the 
final  set  I  hit  hard  to  Mrs.  Chambers's 
backhand  and  ran  in,  winning  the  next 
two  games. 


Sp aiding1 s  Athletic  Library        71 

When  leading  40/15  you  can  afford  to 
take  risks,  and,  for  example,  serve  your 
second  service  as  fast  as  your  first. 

Never  abandon  hope  or  effort.  If  it  is 
5  love  and  40/15  against  you,  hope  and 
strive.  Many  matches  and  championships 
have  been  won  from  a  position  so  seem- 
ingly hopeless.  Nothing  so  demoralizes 
a  player  as  the  gradual  dwindling  away  of 
a  long  lead. 

Attack  is  usually  the  best  kind  of  de- 
fence, but  defensive  tactics  are  sometimes 
the  only  means  of  winning.  The  other 
player  gets  the  attack  in  her  hands  and  you 
are  compelled  to  defend.  You  keep  on 
getting  everything  back.  She  makes  more 
mistakes  with  her  vigorous  attack  than 
you  do,  and  in  the  end  you  win.  That  is 
a  fairly  common  story. 

Ladies'  doubles  are  a  most  enjoyable 
form  of  the  game  if  one  on  either  side  is 
at  the  net. 


72         S folding's  A th letic  Library 

Tactics  consist  mainly  of  keeping  the 
ball  away  from  the  player  at  the  net  and 
intercepting  the  ball  at  the  net.  The 
combination  for  doubles,  usually  re- 
garded as  ideal,  is  a  good  driver  and  a 
good  volleyer.  The  volleyer  stands  at  the 
net  when  her  partner  is  serving.  When 
the  volleyer  is  serving  the  latter  stands 
back  and  the  volleyer  runs  in  on  her 
service.  There  is  room  here  for  some 
variety.  But  the  best  combination  is  that 
of  two  volleyers  who  are  able  also  to  drive 
when  obliged  to  do  so.  The  final  of  the 
ladies'  doubles  at  Wimbledon  is  the  best 
proof  of  this. 

In  mixed  doubles,  too,  I  always  play  at 
the  net.  It  is  far  more  enjoyable  than  the 
back-and-front  combination. 

"Where  am  I  to  stand  when  my  partner 
is  receiving  the  service?"  often  asks  the 
volleyer.  Unless  she  is  an  exceptionally 
strong  driver,  and  the  net  player  on  the 


Sp aiding' s  Athletic  Library         73 

other  side  slow  to  run  across,  she  should 
stand  level  with  her  partner.  Otherwise 
she  will  frequently  get  the  ball  smashed 
and  volleyed  at  her  feet. 

The  lob  and  the  passing  shot  are  the 
chief  means  by  which  the  baseline  mem- 
ber scores.  When  she  lobs  short  her  part- 
ner must  run  back  and  join  her.  To  stay 
up  is  foolish. 

When  both  players  happen  to  be  at  the 
net  they  must  be  level. 

Do  not  keep  on  peppering  one  player 
in  a  double;  put  the  ball  at  her  partner 
occasionally  and  you  may  find  her  unpre- 
pared. Always,  of  course,  play  more  to 
the  weaker  player. 

The  most  effective  lob  in  ladies'  doubles 
is  over  the  head  of  the  opposing  net 
player,  when  she  is  in  the  left  court,  into 
the  extreme  corner  of  that  court.  This 
means  a  long  backhand  shot  for  her 
partner. 


74         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

The  more  usual  way  in  mixed  doubles, 
but  not,  I  am  convinced,  the  best,  is  for 
the  lady  to  play  at  the  back.  This  is  the 
back-and-front  combination  of  ladies' 
doubles.  The  tactics  for  the  two  are  much 
the  same.  The  lady,  unless  she  has  a 
very  strong  and  her  partner  a  very  weak 
backhand,  should  play  in  the  right  court. 

When  your  partner  runs  into  your  court 
be  prepared  to  cross  into  his.  There  is  a 
great  deal  of  changing  courts  in  doubles. 
If  both  players  are  in  one  court  and  the 
ball  is  played  into  the  other  you  are  not 
combining  properly,  and  the  fault  is  prob- 
ably yours.  Let  your  partner  deal  with 
overhead  balls  and  don't  accuse  him  of 
poaching  if  he  is  trying  to  cut  in  and  kill 
at  the  net.  He  is  there  for  that.  Above 
all  things  avoid  hitting  at  the  man  at  the 
net. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library         75 


CHAPTER  VIII 

TOURNAMENT  TENNIS 

THERE  is  no  more  enjoyable  holiday 
than  a  round  of  tournaments.  The  play, 
with  all  its  excitements,  hopes,  fears,  joys, 
disappointments,  the  many  social  aspects, 
the  long  days  in  the  fresh  summer  air,  and 
the  many  delightful  friendships  make  of 
the  tournament  an  earthly  paradise. 

The  ambition  of  every  girl  who  plays 
tennis  should  be  to  compete  in  one.  Her 
first  tournament  will  never  be  her  last! 

Many  tournaments  have  special  events 
for  girls  and  boys.  This  is  as  it  should  be. 

Tournaments,  as  you  will  soon  discover 
for  yourselves,  are  very  different  from 
friendly  games.  Players  are  out  to  win. 
No  mercy  is  shown.  You  feel  nervous 
and  self-conscious;  you  cannot  do  your- 


76         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

self  justice;  you  were  inclined  to  fancy 
yourself  a  little,  even  to  imagine  secretly 
that  you  might  win.  After  being  knocked 
out  in  the  first  round  by  some  one  you 
thought  you  might  beat,  you  feel  discour- 
aged and  spiritless. 

If  that  is  your  experience  you  share  it 
with  thousands  of  others.  It  is  all  a  very 
wholesome  part  of  tournament  discipline. 
Your  opportunity  will  come  all  in  good 
time. 

Never  be  either  unduly  cast  down  or 
unduly  lifted  up  by  your  early  experi- 
ences of  tournament  tennis. 

My  advice  to  young  players  is  to  enter 
for  every  event.  This  is  the  way  to  gain 
experience  and  practice. 

When  drawn  against  a  first-class  player 
in  open  singles,  go  out  for  your  shot. 
Never  on  any  account  scratch  to  a  good 
player.  It  is  robbing  yourself  of  useful 
experience,  and  her  of  needed  practice. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library         77 

You  mean  it  for  modesty,  but  your 
opponent,  if  one  of  the  right  sort,  will 
tell  you  that  it  is  a  mistake. 

In  handicaps  singles  you  will  at  first 
receive  a  long  start.  Your  best  chance 
of  winning  is  to  play  a  bold  game.  Take 
risks,  especially  against  players  giving  you 
a  big  start.  Remember  that  when  receiv- 
ing ©dds  you  take  risks,  giving  them  you 
play  steady. 

Concentrate  on  the  game.  Do  not  look 
round  at  the  crowd ;  and  do  not  imagine 
that  the  crowd  are  looking  at  you. 

It  is  well  to  have  a  few  practice  hits 
before  beginning  a  match.  But  do  not 
overdo  this. 

Accept  the  umpire's  decisions,  however 
wrong  they  may  seem  to  you,  without  any 
sign  of  disagreement.  The  umpire  is  in 
the  best  possible  position  for  seeing  all 
the  lines,  and  you  are  just  as  likely — more 
likely — to  be  wrong  than  he  is.  Quite 


78         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

apart  from  that  it  is  bad  form  to  grumble 
at  umpires'  decisions.  In  fact,  all  kinds 
of  grumbling  and  excuses  are  bad  form. 

Another  bit  of  advice — be  punctual. 
This  helps  the  management.  You  are 
not  the  only  player  in  the  tournament. 
Unpunctuality  affects  others.  Players  are 
sometimes  "scratched"  because  they  are 
not  on  hand  when  wanted.  Possibly  they 
thought,  or  hoped,  they  would  not  be 
wanted  and  took  the  risk  of  being  late. 
The  unexpected  happens,  and  to  their 
chagrin  they  find  themselves  out  of  the 
event. 

Referees  are  very  good  in  obliging  com- 
petitors wherever  they  can,  but  they  are 
rightly  down  on  careless  unpunctuality. 
Keep  on  the  right  side  of  the  referee. 
Study  him  and  he  will  study  you.  He 
wields  great  power,  and  has  as  long  a 
memory  for  unselfish  and  considerate 


Sp aldmg's  Athletic  Library         79 

competitors  as  he  has  for  selfish  and  in- 
considerate ones. 

And  tournaments  do  bring  out  charac- 
ter. If  you  want  to  be  thought  well  of> 
always  be  glad  to  umpire  when  asked. 
Otherwise  you  may  find  it  hard  to  get  um- 
pires for  your  own  matches. 

It  is  different  when  you/  become  a 
"crack"  and  wish  to  be  at  ijour  best  in 
the  finals.  Umpiring  is  tiring  for  the 
eyes,  and,  coming  just  before  your  own 
matches,  bad  for  your  play. 

Your  duties  as  an  umpire,  after  seeing 
that  the  net  is  the  right  height,  are  to 
judge  whether  balls  are  in  or  out,  to  de- 
cide "lets,"  and  to  call  the  score.  And  you 
may  as  well  call  the  state  of  the  game  in 
the  right  way.  Here  is  an  example :  "3 
games  to  i,  Miss  Blank  leads  in  the  second 
set;  first  set  to  Miss  Blank."  And  do  call 
the  score  loud  enough  for  spectators  in- 
terested in  the  game  to  hear  it. 


80         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

It  will  be  useful  to  give  a  few  hints  of 
a  common  sense  nature  with  regard  to 
diet  and  training  and  physical  care. 

You  must  have  a  good  warm  ulster  coat 
of  some  kind.  A  white  or  colored  blanket 
coat  is  best  and  most  usual.  After  getting 
hot  it  is  a  great  comfort  and  safeguard  to 
get  into  this.  It  is  foolish  to  sit  about  after 
a  heated  match  without  a  wrap  of  any 
sort. 

In  cold  weather  it  is  well  to  start  in  a 
jersey  or  "sweater."  You  can  never  play 
your  best  if  cold. 

Girls  might  copy  men  more  in  this  and 
other  respects.  Men  think  so  much  of 
physical  fitness  that  many  of  the  leading 
players  are  carefully  massaged  before  im- 
portant matches  in  the  championship.  I 
am  not,  of  course,  hinting  that  this  is  nec- 
essary for  every  one,  but  I  do  think  girls 
should  take  more  care  of  themselves  than 
they  do. 


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Spalding's  Athletic  Library        81 

Personally  I  keep  myself  fit  by  daily 
exercises,  as  I  have  previously  stated  in 
Chapter  I. 

If  you  want  to  do  your  best  at  tourna- 
ments do  not  dance  till  the  small  hours 
of  the  morning,  nor  eat  the  richest  pastries 
provided  at  the  tournament  teas. 

If  you  are  thirsty  during  the  course  of 
a  match  be  content  with  cold  water,  or, 
better  still,  nothing. 

Let  me  say  in  conclusion — never  brood 
over  your  matches.  Many  nervous,  imag- 
inative, and  highly  strung  players  play 
their  matches  over  many  times  in  advance. 
At  night  they  think  about  them  instead  of 
going  to  sleep.  Accordingly,  they  are 
tired  out  long  before  the  end  of  the  tour- 
nament and  fail  to  play  up  to  form. 

Do  not  discuss  tennis  too  much  during 
the  course  of  a  tournament,  and  especially 
avoid  talking  about  your  coming  matches. 
It  is  unnerving. 


82         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 


CHAPTER  IX 

COMMON  FAULTS  AND  MISCELLANEOUS 
HINTS 

RUNNING  round  the  ball  is  a  very  com- 
mon fault  with  girls.  Strong  on  her  fore- 
hand a  girl  will  manoeuvre  to  get  her 
forehand  to  every  shot.  She  will  run 
round  the  ball  instead  of  remaining  where 
she  is  and  taking  it  with  her  backhand. 

Two  evils  result  from  this.  Her  back- 
hand is  deprived  of  the  practice  which 
would  strengthen  it;  she  gets  herself  out 
of  position. 

Strengthen  your  weak  shots,  is  the  ad- 
vice for  all  players. 

Another  very  common  fault  with  girls 
is  to  play  their  shots  across  the  body.  By 
this  I  mean  they  play  with  the  body  facing 
the  net  instead  of  sideways  to  it. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        83 

It  is  impossible  to  play  a  backhand  like 
this.  The  racket  cannot  be  taken  back; 
there  can  be  no  swing;  and  the  feet  are 
in  a  hopeless  position.  It  does  not  cramp 
the  forehand  so  much,  for  the  arm  is  free 
of  the  body. 

An  almost  universal  failing  of  girls  is 
not  being  able  to  see  when  there  is  spin 
on  the  ball,  or  of  what  kind. 

To  every  man  and  boy  it  is  obvious  that 
a  ball  hit  in  a  certain  way  will  have  a  cer- 
tain kind  of  spin  on  it.  Thus,  a  half- 
volley  will  nearly  always  have  back-spin. 
That  is  to  say,  it  will  hang  or  break  back 
towards  the  net  after  pitching.  A  man 
can  tell  by  the  way  the  ball  is  spinning 
what  it  will  do  on  pitching.  But  girls  do 
not  seem  to  understand  this,  and  accord- 
ingly are  much  at  sea  with  all  spinning 
balls. 

No  doubt  it  is  due  to  lack  of  training 
in  ball  games.  But  this  excuse  will  not 


84         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

hold  good  much  longer,  for  girls  are  now 
scientifically  coached  in  all  ball  games. 

Attempting  to  drive  hard  from  near  the 
net  is  a  fault  which  loses  girls  many 
points.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  drive 
hard  a  ball  which  pitches  near  the  net  and 
does  not  rise  above  it.  The  ball  if  it 
crosses  the  net  must  go  out,  unless  a  great 
deal  of  top-spin  is  put  on  it,  and  com- 
paratively few  young  players  understand 
how  to  impart  top-spin  to  the  ball. 

Do  not  get  too  near  the  ball  when  driv- 
ing. You  must  keep  well  away  from  it. 
Keep  it  at  arm's  length.  Watch  any  of 
the  best  drivers  and  you  will  observe  how 
they  keep  away  from  the  ball.  I  have  my 
arm  quite  straight  when  driving.  Many 
good  players  bend  the  elbow  slightly,  but 
I  believe  it  would  be  better  if  they  did 
not. 

By  getting  too  near  the  ball  you  cramp 
your  shot,  often  get  the  ball  on  the  splice 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        85 

of  the  racket,  and,  of  course,  lose  power. 
Then  it  is  hard  to  keep  your  eye  on  the 
ball. 

This  getting  too  near  the  ball  is  a  very 
common  failing. 

So  is  rushing  at  the  ball.  You  may  run 
as  hard  as  you  like  to  get  to  the  ball,  but 
you  must  steady  yourself  for  the  actual 
shot. 

When  you  dash  in  at  a  short  ball,  and 
by  a  great  effort  just  reach  it,  it  is  a  pity 
to  waste  this  effort  by  hitting  it  out.  Your 
impetus,  unless  you  counteract  this  by  a 
restrained  hit,  will  cause  you  to  hit  the 
ball  too  hard.  This  is  a  very  common  ex- 
perience. 

If  you  hit  the  net  with  your  racket  when 
making  a  shot,  or  if  the  net  touches  any 
part  of  you,  the  point  goes  against  you. 

Inexperienced  players  will  catch  a  ball 
which  is  palpably  out,  with  hand  or 
racket 


86         Spa! ding's  A  th  letic  L  ibrary 

If  you  do  this  in  a  tournament  you  lose 
the  point.  The  ball  is  in  play  until  it 
strikes  the  ground  outside  the  court.  In 
a  very  high  wind  a  ball  which  had  gone 
well  outside  the  court  is  sometimes  blown 
into  court  again.  Make  a  habit  in  prac- 
tice games  of  always  letting  a  ball  which 
is  out  drop  to  the  ground. 

You  may  not  stretch  your  racket  over 
the  net  to  play  a  ball.  You  must  wait  till 
the  ball  is  on  your  side  of  the  net  before 
playing  it.  But  it  is  not  against  you  if 
having  hit  the  ball,  on  your  own  side  of 
the  net,  your  racket  finishes  the  other  side. 

Ignorant  players  are  surprised  when  an 
umpire  disallows  a  stroke  which  has 
scooped  or  shovelled  the  ball  over  the  net. 
The  stroke  is  an  unfair  one  because  the 
ball  has  been  hit  more  than  once. 

Have  I  told  you  how  necessary  it  is  for 
you  to  keep  on  your  toes  all  the  while? 
Runners  who  wish  to  get  a  good  start 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        87 

would  never  dream  of  standing  on  the  flat 
of  their  feet. 

Be  careful  not  to  make  foot-faults.  If 
either  foot  touches  or  crosses  the  line  be- 
fore the  ball  has  left  the  racket,  or,  if 
both  feet  are  off  the  ground,  in  fact,  if  you 
jump  when  the  ball  is  being  hit,  or  if  you 
take  a  walking  or  running  start  you  are 
guilty  of  a  foot-fault. 

Use  your  head.  Place  your  shots.  Do 
not  hit  wildly.  Three  hints  which  every 
one  can  appreciate  and  anyone  obey. 
There  is  a  great  difference  between  hit- 
ting "wildly"  and  hitting  hard. 

If  you  are  a  back-of-the-court  player 
and  find  yourself  on  the  service-line  after 
playing  a  shot,  with  no  time  to  get  back 
to  the  baseline,  go  on  up  to  the  net.  It 
is  up  or  back  in  tennis.  There  is  no  mid- 
dle course. 

In  mixed  doubles  your  partner  should 
serve  first,  unless  you  are  the  better  server. 


88         S folding's  A  thletic  Library 

And  the  better  server  should  have  the 
choice  of  ends.  It  is  ridiculous  for  a  girl 
who  serves,  possibly  underhand,  to  accept 
the  better  end,  with  the  sun  at  her  back — 
politely  offered  by  her  partner — and  make 
him  serve  with  the  sun  in  his  eyes.  The 
stronger  player  should  be  given  every 
advantage.  There  is  no  such  thing  in  ten- 
nis as  "ladies  first."  You  must  do  your 
best  to  win  and  use  every  lawful  means 
for  doing  so. 

If  you  read  my  little  book,  with  a  de- 
termination to  carry  out  its  instructions, 
and  study  the  photographs  carefully,  you 
should  greatly  improve  your  game  and 
enjoy  your  tennis  more. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        89 


CHAPTER  X 

THE    EVOLUTION   OF    LADIES'    PLAY 

The  following  chapter  was  not  written 
by  Mile.  Lenglen,  but  is  so  intimately  as- 
sociated with  the  subject  of  her  book  that 
it  is  reproduced  on  account  of  its  instruct- 
ive value.  The  writer,  Mrs.  Larcombe, 
will  be  recognized  as  a  former  British 
lady  champion,  and  therefore  well  quali- 
fied to  present  her  views. 

As  the  introduction  shows,  this  letter 
appeared  in  the  Field,  of  London,  the 
foremost  authority  on  British  sport  and 
all  topics  connected  with  the  realm  of  the 
out-of-doors. 

Mrs.  Larcombe  writes : 

Sir— The  fact,  noted  in  the  Field  re- 
cently that  several  years  ago  there  were  as 
many  good  volleyers  as  base-liners,  is  a 


90         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

timely  reminder  that  the  volley  (in  wom- 
en's tennis)  is  no  modern  asset.  We  be- 
lieve casually  that  the  game  becomes 
harder,  and  that  more  is  demanded  of  its 
votaries  as  time  goes  on.  Then  we  are 
brought  up  suddenly  against  a  wall  of 
hard  fact  such  as  that  and  compelled  to 
think.  Has  the  game  improved?  Or  is 
it  only  that  lawn  tennis  itself  is  more 
popular  and  the  standard  of  the  average 
player  considerably  higher?  I  am  in- 
clined to  think  that  is  nearer  the  truth,  and 
that  perhaps  the  spread  of  tournaments 
is  to  be  both  praised  and  blamed  for  this 
result.  Competitions  afford  the  average 
player  a  chance  of  improvement  through 
meeting  good  opponents,  but  the  better 
player  is  apt  to  go  right  through  the  tour- 
nament season  without  the  desire  for  im- 
provement and  with  the  desire  never  to  be 
beaten.  She  has  no  time  to  cultivate  other 
strokes,  no  time  to  learn  volleying.  If 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        91 

she  did  so  she  might  be  beaten  by  some- 
one considered  below  her  form! 

I  fancy  something  of  the  spirit  of  the 
game  has  been  lost  in  this  way.  There  is 
less  pleasure  in  the  game  and  more  in  the 
victory  than  is  compatible  with  true  sport. 
That  is  why  I  do  not  like  to  see  the  Field 
attribute  Mrs.  Chambers'  surrender  of 
her  base-line  position  solely  to  the  efficacy 
of  the  volley.  It  means,  surely,  a  great 
deal  more  than  that.  Mrs.  Chambers' 
views  are  wide — she  does  not  concern  her- 
self only  with  the  winning  of  a  match. 
For  one  thing  there  is  the  enjoyment  of 
it  to  be  considered.  Mrs.  Chambers  has 
known  the  value  of  the  volley  for  years, 
and,  paradoxical  as  it  may  sound,  she 
would  have  been  a  volleyer  long  ago  but 
for  the  fact  that  she  was  a  superb  base- 
liner.  She  has  been  supreme  at  her  own 
game,  consequently  she  has  enjoyed  play- 
ing it  and  seen  no  particular  need  of  any 


92         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

change  in  her  methods.  That  change,  to 
my  mind,  may  be  attributed  to  her  sense 
of  pleasure  in  the  game  and  her  thought 
for  the  future  as  well  as  to  her  knowledge 
that  volleying  pays.  An  essential  quality 
for  a  base-liner  is  fleetness  of  foot.  That 
is  one  of  the  first  things  to  disappear  as 
one  gradually,  or  suddenly,  joins  the  Old 
Brigade.  To  the  volleyer  fleetness  of  foot, 
although  valuable,  is  not  as  necessary. 
Lack  of  it  can  be  covered  by  knowledge 
and  anticipation. 

So  the  two  possibilities  of  greater  en- 
joyment in  the  game  and  a  longer  term 
of  good  play  are  at  least  as  important  as 
the  more  obvious  fact — especially  obvious 
at  the  moment — that  the  volleyer  wins. 
I  feel  sure  these  points  are  in  Mrs.  Cham- 
bers' mind,  and,  at  a  time  when  so  many 
women  are  shivering  on  the  brink  of  the 
volley,  it  would  be  well  for  them  to  fol- 
low her  lead  and  ponder  the  manifold 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        93 

advantages  instead  of  thinking  only  of 
the  one — winning. 

I  know  it  is  quite  easy  to  advocate  vol- 
leying. The  stumbling  block  is  that  vol- 
leying itself  is  not  easy,  although  it  is  not 
as  difficult  as  some  players  make  it.  Sev- 
eral women  wish  earnestly  to  become  vol- 
leyers  and  string  up  their  courage  to  the 
point  of  standing  (in  a  very  frightened 
attitude!)  near  the  net.  But  they  seldom 
take  the  trouble  beforehand  to  find  out 
anything  about  how  it  (meaning  the  vol- 
ley) should  be  done,  and  they  cannot  sus- 
tain their  courage  through  the  rather 
fearful  process  of  acquiring  it.  I  have 
been  a  volleyer  always,  and  I  wish  I  could 
help  everybody  to  learn  "how."  Let  me 
add  hastily  that  my  meaning  is  not  that 
everyone  should'  model  herself  on  any 
one  player.  Most  players  have  their  own 
distinct  style,  and  some  have  the  strength 
and  ability  to  be  a  law  unto  themselves — 


94         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

Miss  Ryan  is  a  notable  example.  But  the 
ordinary  woman  will  find  it  advisable  to 
volley  in  the  easiest  way,  and  I  am  most 
decidedly  an  adherent  of  the  easiest  way. 
Many  would-be  volleyers  bring  their 
base-line  methods  up  to  the  net  and  expect 
success  to  follow  naturally.  I'm  afraid  it 
won't! 

I  did  not  start  out  with  the  intention 
of  offering  any  "hints  to  beginners"  or 
anything  of  the  kind,  only  to  urge  the 
pleasure  of  volleying  as  well  as  the  profit. 
But  being  by  nature  thoroughly  didactic 
(or  helpful — take  your  choice),  I  cannot 
resist  the  opportunity  of  trying  to  reach 
some  women  who  read  the  Field,  but 
would  never  open  any  treatise  on  the 
game.  Here,  then,  are  a  few  hints. 

Keep  your  racket  still  when  volleying. 
You  have  to  swing  at  a  ground  shot  to  put 
pace  on  the  ball.  As  a  rule  when  a  ball 
is  volleyed  the  pace  is  already  on  it.  The 


Sp aiding' s  Athletic  Library        95 

direction  only  has  to  be  changed,  and  that 
is  most  accurately  controlled  by  a  firm 
racket,  the  wrist  being  used  for  a  "follow 
through."  Keep  the  head  of  the  racket 
up.  Not  that  this  is  the  better  position  in 
which  to  play  the  ball,  but  the  action  of 
tilting  up  the  head  stiffens  the  wrist  in 
just  the  right  way.  It  gives  that  tenseness 
necessary  to  volleying — the  very  opposite 
of  the  loose  wrist  used  in  a  swing. 

Try  hard  to  cultivate  anticipation. 
Playing  on  the  base-line  you  wouldn't 
dream  of  standing  still  on  one  side-line 
while  the  other  was  at  the  mercy  of  your 
opponent.  But  sometimes  when  you  vol- 
ley there  is  an  even  larger  "opening"  that 
you  have  never  attempted  to  cover!  Think 
of  where  your  opponent  can  put  the  ball 
and  move  there.  Don't  stand  obstinately 
in  perhaps  the  only  place  in  court  she 
cannot! 


96         S  paid  ing's  A  thletic  Library 

Two  instances  will  demonstrate  my 
meaning  most  simply.  Suppose  yourself 
in  the  right-hand  court  and  the  ball  in 
your  opponent's  right-hand  corner  near 
the  base-line.  It  is  useless  for  you  to 
stand  near  your  own  "railway  lines." 
Your  opponent  cannot  put  the  ball  there. 
Your  partner  will  have  had  to  move  to 
her  (or  his)  side  of  the  court  to  guard 
that  side-line.  You  must  move  in  to  the 
centre  to  guard  that. 

In  another  instance  you  are  still  in  the 
right  court  and  the  ball  is  in  your  oppo- 
nents' /^//-hand  corner.  In  this  case  your 
enemy  has  an  easy  shot  down  your  side- 
line, and  you  must  move  out  towards  that 
to  cover  it,  your  partner  closing  up  the 
centre.  Get  these  two  elementary  exam- 
ples well  into  your  head  and  you  will  un- 
derstand the  need  for  anticipation  in  vol- 
leying. As  you  go  on  you  will  learn  more 
and  more  about  the  angles  of  the  court 


S folding's  Athletic  Library        97 

and  the  shots  that  are  possible  and  those 
that  are  not. 

First  learn  "how"  and  then  persevere. 
That  is  the  road  that  success  will  follow. 
When  you  have  reached  your  destination 
— and,  indeed,  even  on  the  way  there — 
you  will  get  more  fun  out  of  the  game 
than  you  ever  did  playing  solely  from  the 
base-line.  ETHEL  W.  LARCOMBE. 

The  Field  remarks  on  the  foregoing: 
"The  note,  upon  which  Mrs.  Larcombe 
founds  her  valuable  contribution,  ex- 
pressly stated  that  'it  was  not  concerned 
with  the  motive  for  the  change.'  It  sug- 
gested that  the  spirit  of  adventure  may 
have  prompted  Mrs.  Lambert  Chambers 
to  come  to  the  net.  We  never  imagined 
that  she  came  up  solely  to  win." 


98         Spalding's  Athletic  Library 


TENNIS  CLOTHES  FOR  WOMEN 

The  out-of-doors  has  become  an  important 
part  in  the  life  of  the  present-day  woman  and 
probably  no  better  indication  of  this  is  seen  than 
in  the  multiplicity  of  shops  devoted  to  women's 
apparel  for  sport. 

A.  G.  Spalding  &  Bros,  early  recognized  this 
trend  and  several  years  ago  established  in  their 
building  on  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  a  separate 
and  complete  department  devoted  exclusively  to 
women's  wear.  Imported  garments  for  tennis, 
golf,  and  motoring;  sport  hats,  neckwear  and 
hosiery  are  featured. 

That  the  idea  of  a  women's  sport  wear  de- 
partment in  connection  with  the  sale  of  athletic 
sport  equipment  was  logical  is  evidenced  by  the 
great  success  of  the  first  venture  and  the  exten- 
sion of  the  idea  to  other  stores  of  the  firm  in 
various  cities.  Chicago  has  a  beautiful  women's 
sport  specialty  shop  at  211  South  State  Street; 
San  Francisco  took  instantly  to  the  innovation,  as 
did  also  the  other  leading  cities  of  the  Pacific 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library        99 

Coast,  while  all  of  the  larger  municipalities  of  the 
Middle  West  and  the  East  are  also  served. 

WHAT  TO  WEAR  ON  THE  TENNIS  COURT 

In  selecting  the  proper  costume  for  tennis  a 
woman's  first  consideration  necessarily  must  be 
comfort  combined  with  perfect  freedom  of  move- 
ment. In  trying  to  attain  this,  however,  it  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  neatness  and  style  are  also 
essential,  since  a  woman  is  never  more  under 
observation  than  when  on  a  court,  especially  if,  as 
during  a  tournament,  there  is  a  critical  gallery. 

The  first  essential  is  a  well-cut  white  skirt,  of 
sufficient  fullness  to  allow  freedom  in  running  and 
not  longer  than  seven  inches  from  the  ground. 
The  material  may  be  of  serge  or  a  light  weight 
cloth,  silk,  linen,  or  a  cotton  fabric,  the  last 
named  being  by  far  the  most  practical. 

With  this  is  worn  a  sports  shirt  of  tub  silk, 
madras  or  linen.  It  should  have  a  turned  down 
collar  and,  if  worn  without  a  sweater,  be  snugly 
belted  and  made  with  a  tucked  bosom,  which 
does  not  wrinkle  as  easily  as  the  plainer  models. 

Soft  ribbed  white  wool  hose  with  or  without 
clocks  of  a  contrasting  color  are  the  most  com- 
fortable and  are  very  smart,  but  a  lighter  weight 
stocking  may  be  worn  if  desired. 

The  best  shoe  is  the  low  buckskin,  in  all  white 
or  white  and  black.  Its  lasting  qualities  and  the 


100       Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

support  it  gives  to  the  foot  make  it  far  superior 
to  the  ordinary  sneaker,  which  must  be  constantly 
whitened  to  look  well  and  which  is  not  recom- 
mended if  there  is  a  tendency  to  fallen  arches. 
Spiked  shoes  for  playing  on  grass  are  made  in 
white  and  are  much  better  looking  than  those  in 
black. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  ideal  garment  for 
tennis,  as  for  all  other  sports,  is  the  sweater. 
With  or  without  sleeves,  of  light  or  heavy  weight 
wool  or  silk,  and  of  the  most  exquisite  shades,  it 
is  suitable  for  all  weathers  and  very  becoming  as 
well  as  practical.  The  most  popular  model  is  the 
simple  slip-on,  which  allows  perfect  freedom  of 
movement  and  yet  gives  that  trim  waist  line  so 
much  to  be  desired.  When  worn  with  a  white 
skirt  and  shirtwaist  and  a  sports  hat  of  the  same 
color,  there  is  no  prettier  costume. 

The  correct  hats  are  plain  and  severe,  of  rough 
straw,  leghorn,  bangkok,  or  panama.  They  may 
have  a  straight  or  mushroom  brim  and  should 
have  merely  a  narrow  grosgrain  ribbon  band  or 
a  soft  crepe  folded  band. 

The  hair  should  be  confined  with  a  hairnet  and, 
if  no  hat  be  worn,  a  ribbon  snood  is  often  used. 

Simplicity,  immaculate  neatness,  and  well 
chosen  colors  are  the  points  that  distinguish 
the  fastidious  and  well-dressed  woman. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Librany       101 


SELECTING  A  RACKET 

Weight,  balance,  size  of  handle  and  shape  con- 
stitute the  four  main  essentials  in  the  selection 
of  a  tennis  racket.  Ash  is  the  principal  wood 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  rackets  and  the 
heavier  its  weight  the  stronger  a  racket  will  be. 
It  is  therefore  well  to  select  as  heavy  a  racket  as 
will  be  consistent  with  one's  strength,  but  not  so 
heavy  as  to  impair  the  quickness  and  accuracy  of 
the  stroke. 

Balance  is  just  as  important  as  weight.  Often 
a  poorly  balanced  racket  will  feel  heavier  than 
one  well  balanced,  although  the  latter  may  be  an 
ounce  or  more  heavier.  The  usual  balance  should 
be  from  \2l/2  to  13^2  inches,  measuring  from  end 
of  handle. 

Of  the  utmost  importance  is  the  size  of  the 
handle.  The  general  idea  that  a  racket  should  be 
gripped  tightly  at  all  times  is  erroneous.  Only 
at  moment  of  impact  is  it  necessary.  At  other 
times  a  fairly  loose  but  firm  grasp  is  advisable. 
A  tight  grip  will  cramp  the  muscles  of  the  arms 
and  interfere  with  the  start  of  the  stroke.  As 


102    .  Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

the  size  of  the  handle  should  vary  with  the  size 
of  the.Jjand,  no  set  measurement  can  be  applied. 
The  best  method  is  to  try  several  sizes  of  handles 
and  select  that  which  seems  most  comfortable. 

The  larger  the  surface  of  the  racket,  generally 
speaking,  the  longer  the  ball  will  "cling"  and 
consequently  more  "cut"  imparted.  The  tremen- 
dous cut  and  spin  service  developed  by  American 
players  has  influenced  them  in  preferring  a  racket 
of  a  broad,  oval  type,  while  the  European  expert 
usually  adheres  to  the  slim,  elliptical  model 

However,  the  final  selection  of  a  racket  after 
all  is  a  matter  of  personal  choice,  but  the  fore- 
going remarks  are  given  as  an  aid  in  considering 
qualifications. 

As  a  matter  of  information  it  may  be  stated 
that  a  national  women's  championship  was  won 
with  a  racket  weighing  13^4  ounces  and  having  a 
balance  of  13  inches  from  end  of  handle;  size  of 
handle,  5  inches ;  surface  of  the  narrow,  elliptical 
style. 

Players  who  wish  advice  concerning  the  selec- 
tion of  a  suitable  tennis  racket — or,  in  fact,  on 
any  matter  concerning  the  game — should  write 
to  any  of  the  stores  of  A.  G.  Spalding  &  Bros.,  a 
list  of  which  is  given  on  the  inside  front  cover 
of  this  book. 

As  the  first  essential  of  proficiency  is  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  rules,  it  is  suggested  that  players  ob- 


Spalding  s  Athletic  Library       103 

tain  a  copy  of  the  current  Spalding  Tennis 
Annual  and  read  the  rules  thoroughly.  The  pub- 
lishers of  the  Annual  have  gone  further  than  the 
mere  printing  of  the  rules,  however,  and  have 
interpolated  numerous  paragraphs,  which  will  be 
found  of  great  help  in  clarifying  points  that 
may  be  possibly  subject  to  misinterpretation. 

Besides  the  usual  data  which  an  annual  pub- 
lication will  necessarily  contain,  the  information 
that  is  printed  exclusively  in  the  Spalding  Annual 
regarding  the  methods  of  conducting  a  tourna- 
ment, rules  for  handicapping,  duties  of  officials, 
and  even  etiquette  for  spectators,  will  more  than 
repay  reading.  Probably  the  most  important  fea- 
ture of  the  book,  after  all,  next  to  the  rules,  is 
the  chapter  which  describes  a  simple  and  inex- 
pensive method  of  laying  out  a  tennis  court.  In- 
terest in  the  game  often  would  be  sustained  and 
stimulated  if  the  proper  method  had  been  fol- 
lowed in  the  first  instance.  A  well-known  expert 
tells  in  simple  language  and  comparatively  few 
words  his  method  of  making  a  court,  which  any- 
one can  follow  without  a  great  deal  of  trouble. 
It  is  well  worth  reading. 

COMMUNITY   COUNTRY   CLUBS 

The  growth  of  athletic  sport  has  created  a  de- 
mand for  a  more  general  knowledge  of  how  a 
club  may  be  organized  and  conducted.  Not  the 


1 04       Sp  aiding' s  A  thletic  Library 

large  clubs  that  are  a  part  of  the  life  of  the  large 
cities,  but  a  small  club  of  community  interest — 
one  might  call  it  a  neighborhood  club — in  which 
seasonal  sport  combined  with  the  social  feature 
would  be  the  main  idea. 

With  this  object  in  view  a  book  has  been  pre- 
pared for  the  Spalding  Athletic  Library  series 
which  will  go  a  long  way  toward  helping  those 
who  contemplate  the  organization  of  a  commu- 
nity club.  This  book  tells  how  to  organize  and 
conduct  clubs  so  that  interest  may  be  sustained 
and  errors  avoided.  It  costs  25  cents,  and  will 
prove  a  great  help  to  those  contemplating  the  or- 
ganization of  a  club  of  purely  community  pur- 
poses or  as  an  adjunct  of  industrial  organization. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUF 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


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